Trial Date Set For LIV Golf's Antitrust Lawsuit Against The PGA Tour

The LIV Golf players will have their day in court... but it won't be for a while

Phil Mickelson smiling during the LIV Golf Invitational Bedminster
(Image credit: Getty Images)

A trial date for LIV Golf's antitrust lawsuit against the PGA Tour has been set - and it isn't anytime soon. 

Judge Beth Labson Freeman has set the date for the summary judgement for July 23 next year, with the trial to begin on January 8, 2024. The news is another setback for LIV players, who had hoped the case would be heard as early as August next year. 

At the summary judgement, it is expected PGA Tour lawyers will attempt to get the case thrown out before it reaches the trial stage. Also heard was that the lawsuit now only includes nine names, down from the 11 that made the original 105-page complaint.

Video: What is LIV Golf?

Carlos Ortiz withdrew some time after the suit was filed but the identity of the other LIV player to drop out is still unknown. The original 11 were headlined by Phil Mickelson and Bryson DeChambeau and also featured the likes of Talor Gooch, Hudson Swafford and Matt Jones.

Players who have defected to the Saudi-funded breakaway circuit have been indefinitely suspended from the PGA Tour, and it is that sanction they wish to challenge.

Jay Monahan and other Tour officials believe they are well within their power to ban any members who tee it up in conflicting events without permission and won out when Gooch, Swafford and Jones attempted to gain entry into the FedEx Cup Playoffs via a temporary restraining order (TRO).

In what was likely to be the first of many courtroom battles, Judge Freeman ruled the trio of LIV players faced no irreparable harm due to the mega money on offer on the Greg Norman-fronted circuit.

Andrew Wright
Freelance News Writer

A lifelong golf fan, Andy graduated in 2019 with a degree in Sports Journalism and got his first role in the industry as the Instruction Editor for National Club Golfer. From there, he decided to go freelance and now covers a variety of topics for Golf Monthly. 

Andy took up the game at the age of seven and even harboured ambitions of a career in the professional ranks for a spell. That didn’t pan out, but he still enjoys his weekend golf at Royal Troon and holds a scratch handicap. As a side note, he's made five holes-in-one and could quite possibly be Retief Goosen’s biggest fan.

As well as the above, some of Andy's work has featured on websites such as goal.com, dailyrecord.co.uk, and theopen.com.

What's in Andy's bag?

Driver: Callaway Mavrik Sub-Zero (9°)

3-wood: TaylorMade Stealth 2 Plus (15°)

Driving iron: Titleist U500 (17°)

Irons: Mizuno mp32 (4-PW)

Wedges: Titleist Vokey SM9 (50°, 54° and 58°)

Putter: Titleist Scotty Cameron Newport 2.5

Ball: TaylorMade TP5x