The Golf Thread

[Buzzo]

Also (soz if this has been mentioned) didn't realise it's called LIV to correspond with 54 in Roman numerals. Wild

Getting a job on the marketing side of this must be pretty easy. That is so irredeemably ****e.

....'Ahhhh. All those classic links between Golf and the Roman empire'

[RichC]

Imagine the creative agency made an absolute bundle from it as well

[Buzzo]

Imagine the creative agency made an absolute bundle from it as well

100% - I'd love to be putting that proposal together.

"Pop a couple of extra zero's on there, have you seen what they are paying Mikelson"?

... feels like this leads into an ethical 'double standards' conversation that I am keen to avoid.

[Harv]

[ame]https://twitter.com/TheGoodLiars/status/1553479530253369345[/ame]

[red g]

Read the thread, Apparently it was a dollar a ticket to get in

[Shaggy]

[ame]https://twitter.com/rydercup/status/1554101467224629249[/ame]

[Liverpool]

Luke Donald has announced he's joining LIV

[Buzzo]

https://twitter.com/TheGoodLiars/sta...79530253369345

His 'apology' is amazing

[wiw]

https://twitter.com/rydercup/status/1554101467224629249

Pleased with this - he clearly has a lot of bottle (carrying Garcia's wayward ass through that 4-ball win over Woods and errr, that other fella, springs to mind)

Luke Donald has announced he's joining LIV

[Buzzo]

Respect to Tiger Woods, I mean, he can clearly afford to say no. But those are some big bucks to be walking away from.

[ame]https://twitter.com/AP/status/1554326450433658882[/ame]

[Jas]

Phil Mickelson and Ian Poulter among LIV golfers to bring lawsuit against PGA Tour

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/golf/62412590

Phil Mickelson and Ian Poulter are among 11 LIV Golf players who have filed a lawsuit against the PGA Tour in order to challenge their suspensions.

The PGA Tour has suspended all of its members who have signed up to the controversial Saudi-backed LIV series, which is in its inaugural season.

The 2020 US Open champion Bryson DeChambeau has also put his name to the anti-trust lawsuit.

The group argue that the PGA Tour is trying to harm their careers.

"The Tour's conduct serves no purpose other than to cause harm to players and foreclose the entry of the first meaningful competitive threat the Tour has faced in decades," the lawsuit states.

"The purpose of this action is to strike down the PGA Tour's anti-competitive rules and practices that prevent these independent-contractor golfers from playing when and where they choose."

In a letter responding to the lawsuit that was sent to PGA Tour members, commissioner Jay Monahan said the organisation would not back down.

"These suspended players - who are now Saudi Golf League employees - have walked away from the Tour and now want back in," he said.

"It's an attempt to use the Tour platform to promote themselves and to freeride on your benefits and efforts.

"To allow re-entry into our events compromises the Tour and the competition, to the detriment of our organisation, our players, our partners and our fans.

"The lawsuit they have filed somehow expects us to believe the opposite, which is why we intend to make our case clearly and vigorously."

The PGA Tour suspended those who joined up with the breakaway series in June, though those players were still able to compete at the subsequent US Open and last month's Open Championship.

Six-time major winner Mickelson and other major champions including Dustin Johnson, Brooks Koepka, Patrick Reed and Sergio Garcia were among those suspended.

Poulter was also suspended by the the European-based DP World Tour after they followed the PGA Tour's lead.

That move prompted 16 players to threaten legal action if the bans were upheld and Poulter was able to compete at the Scottish Open after his ban was lifted pending a full appeal.

Carlos Ortiz, Peter Uihlein, Jason Kokrak, Pat Perez, Abraham Ancer, Talor Gooch, Hudson Swafford and Matt Jones are the other plaintiffs in the lawsuit against the PGA Tour.

Gooch, Swafford and Jones are requesting temporary relief to allow them to compete in the FedEx Cup play-offs, which start next week.

[RichC]

Going to be interesting how this plays out, they've made the point that they're "independent contractors" and as such free to choose where they play I guess on the other side of the coin the GAs should also have the right as to who they allow to enter their events.

Won't be anywhere near that simple but the golfers seem to want to have their cake and eat it.

[Buzzo]

I wonder if the PGA have a reputational damage clause they can hang everything on?

Would be good if they can if it goes to court as it highlights the actual issues at the core of this.

[wiw]

Phil Mickelson and Ian Poulter among LIV golfers to bring lawsuit against PGA Tour

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/golf/62412590

"These suspended players - who are now Saudi Golf League employees - have walked away from the Tour and now want back in," he said.

Without knowing any of the specific details, I'd be absolutely amazed if they were employees. Can't see that being true in a million years

[wiw]

Add Cam Smith to the list.