Tuesday, a federal judge denied three LIV Golf tour golfers’ plea for a temporary restraining order that would have let them compete in the PGA Tour’s lucrative FedEx Cup playoffs this week.
Talor Gooch, Matt Jones, and Hudson Swafford were all punished by the PGA Tour for joining the Saudi-backed breakaway league. They believed that an emergency injunction would allow them to compete in the three-event playoffs.
However, according to US district court judge Beth Labso Freeman, the players were aware of the potential repercussions of joining the rival circuit. She stated that LIV had compensated them adequately and that their attorneys had failed to prove irreparable injury.
“With today’s news, our players’ fans and partners can now focus on what truly matters over the next three weeks: the world’s greatest players participating in the FedExCup Playoffs,” PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan wrote in a message to players.
LIV Golf expressed “disappointment” that the three were denied access to the playoffs and “will not be permitted to play golf. No one benefits from prohibiting golfers from playing.
Earlier on Tuesday, the No. 1 player in the world, Scottie Scheffler, referred to the players’ case as “frustrating.
The $255 million LIV series is backed by Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF), which opponents believe is a means for the nation to boost its image in the face of human rights criticism.
