Poulter is among 11 LIV golfers who have taken legal action in the US to lift their suspension from the North American golf tour. LIV Golf has caused consternation across the golfing world since attracting players with registration fees reportedly in excess of £100m in some cases and a prize money of $25m (£20.6m) per event. In a memo to members obtained by Sky News, PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan wrote: “With the Saudi Golf League on hiatus, they are trying to use lawyers to force their way into competition with our members in good standing .It’s an attempt to use the Tour platform to promote yourself and freeride for your benefits and efforts. “Allowing them to re-enter our events puts the tour and the competition at risk, to the detriment of our organization, our players, our partners and our fans. The lawsuit they’ve filed somehow expects us to believe the quite the opposite, so we aim to make our case clearly and forcefully.” The series is funded by Saudi Arabia’s sovereign wealth fund, drawing criticism from activists who accuse the kingdom of using the glamor of sport to boost the kingdom’s image, while concerns remain over human rights abuses. Players signed up to begin playing at the LIV golf course in June, despite the threat of a year of PGA Tour disciplinary action. Three players – Talor Gooch, Hudson Swafford and Matt Jones – have requested temporary suspensions to compete starting next week in the FedEx Cup playoffs that determine the season’s PGA Tour champion. Mr Monahan said: “We are preparing to protect our members and challenge this latest attempt to disrupt our tour and you should be assured of the legal merits of our position. Basically, these banned players – who they are now employees of the Saudi Golf League – I left the Tour and now I want to come back.” Read more: Why LIV Golf is the most controversial tournament in sport Phil Mickelson says he does not condone human rights abuse ahead of Saudi-backed tour Image: Phil Mickelson played in the inaugural LIV Golf Invitational at Hemel Hempstead There is one month until the next LIV Golf event in Boston. The antitrust lawsuit against the PGA Tour was filed in US District Court in San Francisco. LIV Golf said in a statement: “The players are right to bring this lawsuit to challenge the PGA Tour’s anti-competitive rules and vindicate their rights as independent contractors to play where and when they choose. Despite the PGA Tour’s attempt to stifle competition, we believe golfers should be allowed to play golf.” Mr Monahan said he stood up for the rights of rules-abiding members and urged players to speak out against LIV Golf. He added: “This is your tour, built on the foundation that we work together for the good and growth of the organization…and then reap the benefits. It seems your former colleagues have forgotten an important aspect of that equation.”
