Four more LIV golfers -- Phil Mickelson, Ian Poulter, Talor Gooch and Hudson Swafford -- are the latest to exit the LIV-backed anti-trust lawsuit against the PGA Tour.
Now just three golfers from the original 11 plaintiffs in the lawsuit -- Bryson DeChambeau, Peter Uihlein and Matt Jones -- remain in the suit, along with LIV Golf, Inc., which joined the players as a plaintiff after the initial filing.
Ahead of the LIV Golf event in Illinois, Mickelson indicated he would likely pull out of the suit, saying it was not "necessary for me to get involved."
Abraham Ancer, Pat Perez, Carlos Ortiz and Jason Kokrak all had previously withdrawn from the lawsuit.
Jones, Gooch and Swafford all sought an injunction from the same court and Judge Beth Freeman, seeking an order that the PGA Tour allow them to play in the FedEx Cup playoffs as long as they remained eligible through the points system. That motion was denied by Judge Freeman, saying the players appeared to sign with LIV Golf knowing that they could be locked out of PGA Tour events and the FedEx Cup playoffs and valuing that potential loss in their deals with LIV.
In ruling on the sought order, Freeman said the soonest that the lawsuit could go to trial is sometime in early 2024. The PGA Tour's request for summary judgment will be heard on July 23, 2023, at which point the Tour will seek the dismissal of the lawsuit.
