With the 2022 edition of the venerated Open Championship — also referred to as the British Open or just The Open — set to tee off in just over a week on the Old Course at St. Andrews, a consumer class-action lawsuit has been filed under Florida law for monopolization, market division, refusal to deal (aka group boycott) and civil conspiracy against the PGA Tour and its partner DP World Tour — lack of gimmees or mulligans not included..Also mentioned as co-conspirators in the lawsuit are Jay Monahan and Keith Pelly, commissioners of the PGA Tour and DP World Tour, respectively, for allegedly restraining competition against the LIV Golf Tour..The LIV Tour is backed by Saudi Arabian money and headed by notable golfers Greg Norman and Phil Mickelson. The Tour gets its name from the Roman numeral for 54, which is the number of holes played in its tournament, as opposed to the PGA/DP standard of 72-hole tournaments. .Many high-profile golfers have joined the LIV Tour, some getting nine-figure contract fees to join and give the tour some legitimacy. Those players have been fined and suspended by the PGA Tour and DP World Tour..The lawsuit is the largest of many shots fired between LIV and the older tours and was filed on behalf of lawyer Larry Klayman, who is representing himself. Klayman founded the government watchdog group, Judicial Watch, then ran for US Senate and, more recently, heads Freedom Watch USA..He also was on the Department of Justice team that broke up the AT&T monopoly during the Reagan administration. .The case charges, "Defendant PGA Tour's attempt to monopolize the United States market for organizing, sanctioning, and offering spectators admission to professional golf tournaments has caused Plaintiff Klayman and the proposed plaintiff class to suffer antitrust injury, that is, injury of the type the Florida antitrust laws are intended to prevent, by maintaining super-competitive prices for spectator admission.".“Using the phony pretext of Saudi financing of the LIV Golf Tour [as the PGA Tour and DP World Tour also significantly benefit from a huge amount of Saudi and Middle Eastern money] these defendants have, through their anti-competitive actions, harmed Florida consumers who would attend PGA Tour and its admitted partner DP World Tour golfing tournaments and events, by suspending and fining professional golfers who were formerly on these golf tours, simply because they signed up to play in LIV Golf Tour tournaments and events,” says Klayman..Klayman claims the defendants are using their market power to destroy the LIV Tour and discredit its players..“In doing so, Monahan and Pelley and their allies, including commentators on NBC’s Golf Channel, have repeatedly, outrageously, disparaged Greg Norman and the LIV golf professionals, as participating in sports-washing and accepting blood money from the Saudis, when their tours also hugely benefit from Saudi and Middle Eastern money,” says Klayman. “In fact, it is telling that the DP World Tour’s yearly major tournament schedule ends with ‘The Race to Dubai.’".“NBC’s Golf Channel likely fears that a rival major network may sign a contract with LIV, in competition with NBC, to cover and broadcast LIV golf tournaments.”.“This anti-competitive and bullying behaviour cannot be tolerated in a free-market capitalist economy, or in general, particularly since consumers of the great game of professional tournament golf will be among the big losers if the LIV Golf Tour is destroyed in its infancy.” .“The preservation of the LIV Golf Tour is therefore in the public’s interest.”.Only time will tell if the case will be ruled out of bounds.
