For now, at least, LIV Golf players can have their cake but not eat it.
U.S. District Judge Beth Labson Freeman on Tuesday denied a request for a temporary restraining order against Matt Jones, Hudson Swafford and Talor Gooch, who were seeking to play in the FedEx Cup playoffs that begin Thursday in Memphis.
The decision, handed down in US District Court in San Jose, California, is the first step in a larger lawsuit launched by 10 LIV Golf players against the PGA Tour for competition violations. Those proceedings likely won’t begin until September 2023 at the earliest.
Judge Freeman said LIV’s lawyers failed to establish that the players would suffer irreparable harm if they were not allowed to play in the PGA Tour playoffs. He referenced the lucrative contracts the three golfers signed with LIV Golf and indicated they knew they were well compensated because of what they would lose by leaving the PGA Tour.
Lawyers for the plaintiffs had argued that keeping the trio out of the FedEx Cup, among other things, hurt their ability to reach major championships, since reaching the Tour Championship provides entry to three of the four majors. Judge agreed that all three players had a shot at making the top 30, but that didn’t appear to be a major factor.
The decision is a victory for the PGA Tour, which could have possibly seen the three LIV players eclipse the first event of their highest-profile stretch of tournaments. He can now continue with the playoffs where the eventual winner will earn an $18 million bonus.
In a memo to players, commissioner Jay Monahan said Tuesday’s decision will put the spotlight back on the golf course.
“With today’s news,” he wrote, “our players, fans and partners can now focus on what really matters over the next three weeks: the world’s best players competing in the FedEx Cup Playoffs, culminating in an incredibly convincing season with the crowning of the FedEx Cup champion at the Tour Championship”.
Many of the PGA Tour’s top players, who watched the proceedings in the Memphis locker room, were pleased with the court decision. Animosity between players in the two leagues increased as a result of the court case, with several predicting hard feelings if Jones, Gooch and Swafford had been allowed to play.
In a statement issued shortly after the decision, LIV Golf expressed its disappointment.
“We are disappointed that Talor Gooch, Hudson Swafford and Matt Jones will not be able to play golf,” the statement said. “No one wins by banning golfers from playing.”
Earlier in the day, Carlos Ortiz, one of the original 11 players who signed on to the antitrust suit, withdrew his name, bringing the number down to 10.