Phil Mickelson, three others withdraw from LIV antitrust lawsuit against PGA Tour

An antitrust lawsuit that began with 11 plaintiffs suing the PGA Tour is now down to four following another round of withdrawals, including Phil Mickelson, who had been the lawsuit’s namesake (Mickelson et al vs. PGA Tour, Inc.).

Mickelson, Talor Gooch, Hudson Swafford and Ian Poulter have withdrawn from the lawsuit, which was filed in August in U.S. District Court Northern District of California claiming, among other things, the circuit has abused its monopolistic power with anticompetitive practices.

Matt Jones, Bryson DeChambeau, Peter Uihlein and LIV Golf, which joined the lawsuit as a plaintiff last month, are the remaining plaintiffs. Jason Kokrak, Pat Perez, Carlos Ortiz and Abraham Ancer had previously withdrawn from the litigation, which stems from their suspensions from Tour events for violating the circuit’s policies.

Mickelson had hinted he would withdraw from the lawsuit two weeks ago at the LIV event outside of Chicago. “I haven’t done anything yet, but now that LIV is involved, it’s not necessary for me to be a part of it,” he told reporters.

Lawyers for both sides are set to begin the discovery process of the lawsuit, and the trial is scheduled to be held in January 2024.