• Loading stock data...
Wednesday, October 8, 2025
Law

LIV Golf, PGA Tour Seek Dismissal of Federal Antitrust Case

  • Motion was filed with prejudice, meaning the case can’t be refiled even if the regulators move to block the deal.
  • Both sides spent tens of millions of dollars on lawyers before the partnership was announced last week.
The end of the LIV PGA feud is near.
Michael Madrid-USA TODAY Sports

The LIV Golf-PGA Tour antitrust case is effectively over. 

Ten days after detente was announced, a stipulation of dismissal was filed in federal court on Friday. The motion wasn’t unexpected, but the two words contained in the document were newsworthy: “with prejudice.”

LIV Golf won’t be able to re-file the case even as the there are lingering questions over last week’s tentative agreement. Regulators and the Justice Department could block collaboration, which the two sides still need to finalize since there’s just a framework of a deal currently.

In the five-page filing, the PGA Tour also seeks dismissal of its counterclaim against Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment, LIV’s major financial backer. PIF also agreed to dismiss its appeal over of a discovery ruling in the case.

And beyond potential government intervention both in the U.S. and in Europe, the PGA Tour board will have a say.

Sources with knowlege of the framework told Front Office Sports that the deal had a 10 days for the lawsuit to be dropped — and the filing hit the federal court docket with not much time to spare before that deadline tolled.

The case won’t end until Judge Beth Labson Freeman issues a dismissal, but that’s a mere formality. Before the motion to dismiss was filed, Freeman set an Aug. 3 hearing for The New York Time’s motion to intervene in a bid to gain access to many of the documents in the case that remain under seal.

Each side spent tens of millions in lawyer fees since the case was initially filed last summer, and the case wasn’t set to go to trial for at least another year. 

PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan was the subject of immense backlash and accusations of hypocrisy for his role in the June 6 infamous merger, with many Tour players expressing a sense of “betrayal” and U.S. lawmakers calling the Tour boss out on his sudden change of heart on Saudi Arabia. 

PIF committed billions to back LIV Golf and is expected to do the same under the new setup. The agreement hasn’t quieted concerns that Saudi Arabia is using pro golf as another sports-washing endeavor to counter the country’s human rights record. 

Beyond possible intervention by the Federal Trade Commission, the DOJ could also block the deal. The DOJ has investigated the PGA Tour for about a year over some of the same issues that LIV Golf had laid out in the lawsuit and will conduct a review of the announced partnership. 

On the course, players from both circuits compete in the third major tournament of the year, the U.S. Open, from Los Angeles Country Club. 

Exactly when LIV Golf players — suspended when they left the PGA Tour — could be back under the PGA Tour umbrella could hinge on regulatory approval. Until then, LIV and the PGA Tour golfers will continue to compete in their respective leagues. 

Phil Mickelson, Bryson DeChambeau, and Matt Jones were among the 11 LIV golfers who originally sued the PGA Tour in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California in August. The antitrust lawsuit alleged the PGA Tour used its dominant position in the sport “to craft an arsenal of anticompetitive restraints to protect its long-standing monopoly.”

Along with the lawsuit, Talor Gooch, Hudson Swafford, and Matt Jones sought a temporary restraining order that would have put their PGA Tour suspensions on hold so they could play in the 2022 FedEx Cup Playoffs. That injunction was denied by Freeman. 

While much of the case was under seal, lawyers for LIV Golf alleged the PGA Tour undertook several anti-competitive maneuvers in an attempt to thwart LIV: 

  • The PGA Tour allegedly flew members of 9/11 Justice — a group that includes hundreds of family members of victims and survivors of the terrorist attacks — to Oregon ahead of LIV Golf’s U.S. debut in Oregon last June. The group also protested out front of the LIV Golf event weeks later in New Jersey and spent heavily on attack ads. 
  • Facing a PGA Tour suspension and with alleged pressure applied against their sponsors, LIV claimed it had to overpay to lure players to its league. 
  • Beyond its employees and players, the PGA Tour dispatched other influential persons on its behalf,” including members of Augusta National like Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice.
  • A London-based PGA Tour executive “used illegal means to dissuade numerous broadcasters in international markets from signing broadcast contracts with LIV.”

As the case progressed, all the LIV Golf plaintiffs dropped from the case as LIV Golf became the sole plaintiff — and LIV’s courtroom losses began to mount.

The biggest setbacks were related to PIF, which had fought to avoid discovery in the case. A magistrate judge ruled in February PIF had to turn over documents subpoenaed by the PGA Tour, and fund governor Yasir Al-Rumayyan and other PIF officials had to sit for depositions. 

PIF appealed the decision to the 9th Circuit in March as its lawyers argued that the fund had sovereign immunity and, as a result, isn’t subject to discovery in U.S. courts. The likelihood of success of that appeal was considered slim, and a ruling against PIF could have had implications across the fund’s massive U.S. portfolio of investments. 

Like the main litigation, the appeal will be dismissed well before the 9th Circuit makes what could have been a precedent-setting ruling. 

Doug Greenberg contributed to this report. 

Linkedin
Whatsapp
Copy Link
Link Copied
Link Copied

What to Read

Amazon Adds Golf to Its Packed Black Friday Sports Lineup With NFL,..

On Nov. 28, The Skins Game will return for the first time since 2008.
[US, Mexico, & Canada customers only] Mar 16, 2025; Singapore, SINGAPORE; Joaquin Niemann in action during the final round of LIV Golf Singapore at Sentosa Golf Club.

LIV Golf Lost $461M in Non-U.S. Operations in 2024

Public financial filings were released this week in the U.K.
opinion

How Rory McIlroy Became Golf’s Lightning Rod

Is McIlroy a hypocrite for ripping fans after his own f-bombs?

Bethpage Black Joins Trend of Hosting Top Men’s, Women’s Tournaments

The 2028 Women’s PGA Championship will be there for the first time.

Featured Today

Paul Cartier

Sports Organists Are Still Thriving in the Era of Raucous Arena Music

“When they walk out and they see a real organ guy, it’s like, ‘Wow.’”
Sep 27, 2025; Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA; Milwaukee Brewers center fielder Jackson Chourio (11) rounds the bases after hitting a home run during the sixth inning against the Cincinnati Reds at American Family Field.
October 4, 2025

Milwaukee Moneyball: Brewers Are Beating MLB’s Deeper Pockets

Milwaukee is holding its own against big-budget competitors.
Kōloa Rum Company Rum Rusher
September 27, 2025

Panthers Bubbly, Jets Wine, Manning Whiskey: The Sports Booze Boom

A sommelier dives into the sports booze trend—and tries Jets wine.
Nov 17, 2024; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Pittsburgh Steelers fans wave Terrible Towels against the Baltimore Ravens during the fourth quarter at Acrisure Stadium
September 26, 2025

Steelers’ Irish Roots Are Deeper Than NFL Dublin Game

The Steelers have history and the foundation for a future in Ireland.
Hymie Elhai

Jets Say Execs Tried to Sink Team President in Bumbling Conspiracy

The team says thousands of deleted text messages show the plot.
Dec 2, 2022; Las Vegas, NV, USA; Southern California Trojans former quarterbacks Mark Sanchez (left) and Matt Leinart watch from the sidelines during the Pac-12 Championship game against the Utah Utes at Allegiant Stadium.
October 6, 2025

Mark Sanchez, Fox Sports Sued Over Alley Fight That Turned Bloody

The high-profile incident took place Saturday night in Indianapolis.
Brian Flores
October 7, 2025

Court Again Rejects NFL Request to Send Flores Case to Arbitration

The NFL has tried to keep the case out of open court.
Sponsored

How Jenny Just Is Shaping the Future of Sports Ownership

Jenny Just on bringing her investment experience to sports ownership.
Jon Gruden
October 3, 2025

Jon Gruden’s Case Against NFL Gets Closer to Open Court

The Nevada Supreme Court ruled unanimously against the NFL’s appeal. 
Apr 16, 2025; Washington, DC, USA; FIFA Chief Football Officer Jill Ellis speaks during a FIFA Club World Cup press conference at Audi Field.
October 1, 2025

San Diego Wave Owners Sue Jill Ellis for Abandoning Team After Sale

Ellis allegedly broke a pledge by leaving for FIFA after the sale.
Brian Flores
September 30, 2025

Brian Flores Asks Court to Halt NFL Arbitration

The war between Flores’s lawyers and an NFL arbitrator has heated up.
Oct 27, 2024; Houston, Texas, USA; Houston Texans co-founder and former owner Janice McNair (left) sits with Texans chief executive officer Cal McNair and wife Hannah McNair in front of family members of Texans former player Andre Johnson (not pictured) during a ceremony at halftime of the game against the Indianapolis Colts at NRG Stadium.
September 29, 2025

NFL Sued for $100M Over Efforts to ‘Silence’ Brother of Texans Owner

Robert Cary McNair Jr. says the NFL helped remove him from roles.