Former PGA Tour players who have jumped to LIV Golf were informed Thursday that they are ineligible to have their tour memberships renewed. The news, first reported by Morning Read, has been confirmed by Golf Digest.
Although a number of LIV defectors like Dustin Johnson and Patrick Reed have resigned from the tour, there are 22 individuals—highlighted by Phil Mickelson and Bryon DeChambeau—who did not formally or voluntarily surrender their memberships. That group of 22 received letters stating, “The Tour cannot enter into a membership agreement with a player when, as here, it reasonably anticipates the player will not perform the material obligations under that agreement.”
“Accordingly, your PGA Tour membership cannot and will not be renewed for the 2022-2023 PGA Tour season,” the letter continued.
A person with the tour clarified to Golf Digest that the contracts and agreements players have made with LIV Golf prevents them from upholding PGA Tour membership requirements.
Those who have signed with LIV Golf have been given suspensions by the tour for failing to obtain conflicting-event releases as required by the tour’s handbook. Additionally, Mickelson was served a suspension for recruiting players to LIV Golf, and received added time to that suspension for playing in the first two LIV Golf events.
Eleven of those players filed an antitrust lawsuit against the tour protesting their suspensions, although four of those players have dropped from the suit. Mickelson, who is one of the players that has remained in the lawsuit, has asserted that because his lifetime membership (bestowed upon those who have won a minimum of 20 career tour events) was earned that it shouldn’t be taken away. A tentative date for summary judgment has been set for July 23, 2023, where the tour will likely seek to dismiss the antitrust case, with a trial date expected to begin on Jan. 8, 2024.
LIV Golf is holding its fourth event this week outside of Boston.
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