Mickelson considers leaving LIV suit

Phil Mickelson says it is no longer “necessary” to get involved in an antitrust lawsuit against the PGA Tour, but he has not yet decided whether he will abide or withdraw his name.

Speaking to reporters at Rich Harvest Farms ahead of this weekend’s LIV Golf Invitational Chicago, Mickelson expressed confidence in the lawsuit now that the LIV Golf entity has joined its players.

“Now that LIV is involved, I don’t need to be involved,” Mickelson said. “I still am now. I don’t really know what I’m going to do.

“The only reason I’m staying is for (monetary) damage, which I don’t want or need. I think it’s important that players have the right to play when and where they want, when and where they qualify.

“And now that LIV is a part of it, that will be done if and when they win.”

Eleven members of LIV Golf initially came together to sue the PGA Tour in August.

They tried to challenge their suspension from the PGA Tour for attending the first LIV event without the tour’s consent.

Since then, Jason Kokrak, Pat Perez and Mexicans Carlos Ortiz and Abraham Ancer have filed the lawsuit.

If Mickelson also retired, that would leave Bryson DeChambeau, Talor Gooch, Hudson Swafford, Peter Uihlein, Australian Matt Jones and Britain’s Ian Poulter as remaining plaintiffs, along with LIV Golf itself.

“The banning of Complainants and other high-level professional golfers from their own events degrades the strength of the Tour’s terrain and diminishes the quality of the product it offers to golf enthusiasts, depriving them of the opportunity to see many of the best golfers participate. to the events of the Tour ”, argues the lawsuit.

“The only conceivable advantage for the Tour to degrade its product in this way is the destruction of the competition.

“Indeed, the Tour conceded its purely anti-competitive goal by attacking and injuring the players.”

Mickelson is no longer interested in returning to the PGA Tour, telling the previous LIV event in Boston that he “moved on” and sought to make the LIV a world-class golf championship.

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