The battle between LIV Golf and the PGA Tour is likely to rumble on for some time. The PGA Tour won the first legal battle earlier this week when Hudson Swafford, Talor Gooch and Matt Jones failed with a temporary restraining order to compete in the FedEx Cup play-offs. In the lawsuit, it was revealed that LIV took aim at 15-time major champion Tiger Woods.
LIV Golf turned its cannons on Tiger Woods, with the Saudi-funded series accusing the 15-time major winner of doing the PGA Tour’s bidding.
The first legal salvos between LIV and the PGA Tour took place earlier this week, with Hudson Swafford, Talor Gooch and Matt Jones failing in their bid to have their suspensions overturned in order to be able to play in the FedEx Cup play-offs.
The PGA Tour has suspended all players who have taken part in LIV events, and the emergence of LIV has rocked the sport.
At the Open Championship last month, Woods spoke passionately in support of the PGA Tour and questioned the decision of younger players to join LIV.
In the lawsuit, LIV took aim at Woods for what he said to the media at St Andrews.
The statement read: “The Tour also got Tiger Woods to do its bidding and publicly criticise golfers – particularly younger golfers – for joining LIV Golf by suggesting they would never play in The Masters, The Open, or other Majors and would not earn OWGR points.”
LIV frontman and CEO Greg Norman said recently that it attempted to recruit Woods with an offer in the region of $800m.
“That number was out there before I became CEO,” Norman said. “That number has been out there, yes. Tiger is a needle mover. So course you got to look at the best of the best.
“They originally approached Tiger before I became CEO so yes, that number is somewhere in that neighbourhood.”
The judge in California said it would likely be next summer before the case is heard, meaning there is sure to be lots more punch and counter-punch before the issue is resolved.
