LIV Golf Invitational Series: PGA Tour file countersuit against Saudi-backed breakway circuit | Golf News

LIV Golf released a statement Thursday in reaction to the countersuit, which included: « The Tour has made these counterclaims in a transparent effort to divert attention from their anti-competitive conduct, »

The PGA Tour has filed a countersuit against the LIV Golf series, claiming the renegade circuit interfered with contracts the Tour had with its players.

The PGA Tour filed its countersuit Wednesday in response to LIV’s federal antitrust lawsuit filed in August that claimed the PGA Tour illegally suspended players for choosing to play LIV events.

In its countersuit, the PGA Tour claims that LIV Golf offered « astronomical sums of money to induce them to breach their contracts with the Tour in an effort to use the LIV Players and the game of golf to sportswash the recent history of Saudi atrocities and to further the Saudi Public Investment Fund’s Vision 2030 initiatives. »

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Branden Grace has defended his involvement in LIV Golf, stating it’s only going to get ‘bigger and better’.

« Indeed, a key component of LIV’s strategy has been to intentionally induce Tour members to breach their Tour agreements and play in LIV events while seeking to maintain their Tour memberships and play in marquee Tour events, like The Players Championship and the FedEx Cup Playoffs, so LIV can free ride off the Tour and its platform, » the PGA Tour complaint reads.

« LIV has openly sought to damage the Tour’s business relationships with its members by inducing them to breach their contractual requirements, even going so far as to pay members’ legal fees to make breaching their contracts with Tour more enticing. »

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Scottie Scheffler feels there’s more talent in the PGA Tour after many players decided to join LIV Golf.

The LIV Golf plaintiffs now include Bryson DeChambeau, Matt Jones, Peter Uihlein and LIV Golf itself. Phil Mickelson and three others are the latest to ask for removal as plaintiffs from the lawsuit.

LIV Golf released a statement Thursday in reaction to the countersuit, which included: « The Tour has made these counterclaims in a transparent effort to divert attention from their anti-competitive conduct, which LIV and the players detail in their 104-page complaint. We remain confident that the courts and the justice system will right these wrongs. »

What next for LIV Golf?

Stonehill Golf Club in Bangkok will be the venue from October 7-9 and Royal Greens Golf Club – the site of the Saudi International in recent years – hosts the following week, with the season-ending Team Championship at Trump National Doral Miami from October 27-30.

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Billy Horschel says that players who joined LIV golf will have ‘some regrets’ and that they should understand there are ‘consequences’ to their decisions after players learned there will be no world ranking points issued in the tournament.

The format changes in the Team Championship, which is a seeded four-day, four-round, match play knock-out tournament. The top four seeds automatically receive a bye through the first round, with the remaining eight teams playing against each other to see who reaches the quarter-finals.

LIV Golf has announced the LIV Golf League will officially launch in 2023 with 48 players and 12 established team franchises competing in a 14-tournament schedule.

The full slate of events will be announced at a later date and is expected to expand LIV Golf’s global footprint across North and Latin Americas, Asia, Australia, the Middle East and Europe.