LIV Golf:'Nothing Has Changed' In Lawsuit Against PGA Tour Despite Phil Mickelson, Others Removing Names From Suit

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On August 3rd, Phil Mickelson and 10 other members of LIV Golf filed an antitrust lawsuit against the PGA Tour. The suit challenged the Tour's decision to indefinitely suspend all LIV golfers. On Tuesday, Mickelson and three other LIV players officially removed their names from that suit.

Despite Mickelson removing his name from the suit, LIV Golf intends to move forward with its case.

"Nothing has changed. The merits of the case - the PGA Tour’s anti-competitive conduct – still stand and will be fully tested in court. And we look forward to that," a LIV Golf representative told OutKick.

"LIV stands with the players whom the PGA Tour has treated so poorly, but we also recognize that to be successful, we no longer need a wide array of players to be on the suit. We have our players’ backs and will press our case in court against the PGA’s anti-competitive behavior.

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Hudson Swafford, Talor Gooch, and Ian Poulter joined Mickelson on Tuesday in removing their names from the suit. At the time of this writing, just three LIV golfers remain attached in the suit. Those golfers are Matt Jones, Peter Uihlein and Bryson DeChambeau.

"I am focused on moving forward and extremely happy being a part of LIV, while also grateful for my time on the Tour," Mickelson shared in a statement relayed to OutKick.

"I am pleased that the players on Tour are finally being heard, respected, and valued and are benefitting from the changes recently implemented. With LIV's involvement in these issues, the players' rights will be protected, and I no longer feel it is necessary for me to be part of the proceedings."

Poulter, Swafford and Gooch relayed similar messages about proudly being members of LIV Golf while removing their names from the lawsuit.

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LIV CEO Greg Norman. (Photo by Chris Trotman/LIV Golf via Getty Images)

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The "changes recently implemented" on the PGA Tour that Mickelson is referring to are drastic, and will certainly benefit the top players on Tour.

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Beginning in 2023, there will be elevated events on the PGA Tour, purse increases, a guaranteed 'league minimum' for players and a travel stipend among other significant changes.

Some see Mickelson as being labeled the spearhead that made these changes happen.

In February, the 52-year-old made major headlines calling the Saudis backing LIV Golf "scary motherfu-kers." He simultaneously went on to explain that LIV disrupting the golf world was a "once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to reshape how the PGA Tour operates."

Follow Mark Harris on Twitter @ItIsMarkHarris

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Mark covers all sports at OutKick while keeping a close eye on the world of professional golf. He graduated from the University of Tennessee-Chattanooga before earning his master's degree in journalism from the University of Tennessee. He somehow survived living in Knoxville despite ‘Rocky Top’ being his least favorite song ever written. Before joining OutKick, he wrote for various outlets including SB Nation, The Spun, and BroBible. Mark was also a writer for the Chicago Cubs Double-A affiliate in 2016 when the team won the World Series. He's still waiting for his championship ring to arrive. Follow him on Twitter @itismarkharris.