The ongoing legal battle between LIV Golf and the PGA Tour rages on, but it will do so without Phil Mickelson.
Mickelson was among four players on Wednesday (AEST) who dropped out of the antitrust lawsuit filed against the Tour by players from the rival Saudi-backed circuit.
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Mickelson, Ian Poulter, Talor Gooch and Hudson Swafford were among 11 players who initially sought punitive damages as well as injunction that would have allowed Gooch, Swafford and Matt Jones to participate in the FedEx Cup playoffs.
That leaves just Jones, Bryson DeChambeau and Peter Uihlein among the players still suing the Tour after Carlos Ortiz, Pat Perez, Jason Kokrak and Abraham Ancer previously bailed out of the suit as well.
LIV Golf, which joined the lawsuit in August, remains on board.
“Nothing has changed,’’ LIV Golf said in a statement.
“The merits of the lawsuit — the PGA Tour’s anti-competitive conduct — still stand and will be fully tested in court, and we look forward to it.
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“We stand by the players who the PGA Tour has treated so poorly, but we also recognise to be successful we no longer need a wide variety of players to be on the suit. We have our players’ backs and will press our case in court against the PGA’s anti-competitive behaviour.”
Players from the Tour — notably Rory McIlroy and Justin Thomas — have been critical of their now former colleagues who are or were part of the suit because it essentially means they are suing them as players.
That Mickelson pulled out, though, was not unsurprising, particularly once LIV got involved.
“I am focused on moving forward and extremely happy being a part of LIV, while also grateful for my time on the [PGA] Tour,’’ Mickelson said in a statement, according to Sports Illustrated.
“I am pleased that the players on Tour are finally being heard, respected and valued and are benefiting from the changes recently implemented.
“With LIV’s involvement in these issues, the players’ rights will be protected and I no longer feel it is necessary for me to be part of the proceedings.”
Three more events remain this season for LIV, with stops in Bangkok, Jeddah and its season-ending team championship at Trump Doral outside Miami.
The trial for the lawsuit in scheduled to begin in January 2024.
This story originally appeared on the New York Post and has been reposted with permission
