A federal judge has denied a temporary restraining order, permitting the PGA Tour to ban three players affiliated with the rival Saudi Arabia-backed LIV Golf tour from participating in the 2022 FedEx Cup Playoffs, CBS Sports has reported.
The players — Talor Gooch, Matt Jones, and Hudson Swafford — filed a lawsuit in hopes of participating in the PGA's three-week postseason competition.
Judge Beth Labson Freeman, from the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California, dismissed the request for a restraining order, stating that the golfers knew the consequences of joining the LIV tour and did not provide enough evidence of irreparable harm done by being barred from the FedEx Cup playoffs, the Washington Examiner reported.
The request for a restraining order was part of a larger lawsuit brought by 11 players on the LIV tour against the PGA, arguing it had violated antitrust laws by banning golfers who joined LIV.
Earlier this year, the PGA announced it would ban anyone who went to the new LIV, which has offered large sums for golfers to join.
Following the judge's decision, PGA Tour Commissioner Jay Monahan said that "our players, fans and partners can now focus on what really matters over the next three weeks: the best players in the world competing in the FedExCup Playoffs, capping off an incredibly compelling season with the crowning of the FedExCup champion at the Tour Championship," CNN reported.
LIV Golf expressed disappointment, stating that, "no one gains by banning golfers from playing."
CBS News pointed out that the legal battle between the leagues is expected to continue as the broader antitrust lawsuit has not yet been decided.
Brian Freeman ✉
Brian Freeman, a Newsmax writer based in Israel, has more than three decades writing and editing about culture and politics for newspapers, online and television.
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