Golf star Phil Mickelson has filed a lawsuit against the PGA Tour’s suspension with ten other pro players.
The 11 golfers had joined the Saudi Arabia-sponsored LIV tournament series and were subsequently promoted by the Professional Golfers Association (PGA) blocked.
Golfer: “Tour harms the players”
The lawsuit was filed at US District Court for the Northern District of California submitted. “The Tour’s conduct is for the sole purpose of harming players and preventing the first significant competitive threat the Tour has faced in decades from occurring.”it says in the statement of claim.
Talor Gooch, Hudson Swafford and Matt Jones have also applied to the court for injunctions to remain at the Fed Ex Cup Playoffs participate in the PGA Tour. The trio had qualified for the playoffs before joining the LIV series. As a result, the PGA banned them from next week’s tournament.
Saudi Arabia lures with record prize money
The PGA Tour justified the suspensions with reference to the bylaws. After that, professionals are not allowed to compete in events other than PGA tournaments without permission.
The LIV tournament series attracts players with high entry fees and record prize money. According to several English media reports, Mickelson is said to have received a bonus of 200 million US dollars for his move alone.
Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman wants to improve the image of the country, which is controversial for human rights violations, with the series and the prominent names. The US intelligence services regard him as the mastermind behind the assassination of journalist and government critic Jamal Khashoggi in October 2018 at the Saudi consulate in Istanbul.