'Major Victory For LIV Golf' As PGA Tour Fail To Get Latest Lawsuit Dismissed
Larry Klayman says Jay Monahan has "taken one on the chin" and will have to answer questions on LIV Golf dealings


An attorney has labelled it as 'a major victory for golf fans, and by extension LIV Golf' after the PGA Tour failed to get a second antitrust lawsuit dismissed in a Florida court.
The lawsuit against the PGA Tour and DP World Tour by American attorney Larry Klayman - meaning the likes of Jay Monahan, Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy could be deposed and questioned about the accusations.
American attorney Larry Klayman filed a Second Amended Class Action Complaint in Palm Beach County, Florida, accusing both tours, the Official World Golf Rankings (OWGR) and NBCs Golf Channel of allegedly “colluding and conspiring in violation of Florida’s antitrust and competition laws, to restrain trade in the golf industry.”
The suit says that golf consumers in Florida “have seen the quality of the product that they are paying for at PGA Tour events be diluted and destroyed by a deterioration of the talent level at PGA Tour events due to the exclusion of many of the top players in the world who have signed to LIV Golf.”
Klayman, who has filed this motion on behalf of his public interest foundation ‘Freedom Watch’ also represents Patrick Reed and had a $750m complaint against multiple golf media outlets dismissed by a judge last month.
The PGA Tour and LIV Golf are already embroiled in several legal battles, with LIV Golf filing an anti-trust suit in August after being banned from tournaments, while the PGA Tour responded with a lawsuit of its own accusing LIV Golf of interfering with its contracted players.
Klayman says in his court filings that "LIV Golf players are being denied world ranking points to eliminate them from playing in major and other tournaments, harming consumers in this respect as well."
Get the Golf Monthly Newsletter
Subscribe to the Golf Monthly newsletter to stay up to date with all the latest tour news, equipment news, reviews, head-to-heads and buyer’s guides from our team of experienced experts.
And now Klayman says that after a court failed to dismiss his latest motion, he wants to see the likes of Monahan and possibly even Woods and McIlroy, have to testify under oath as part of the discovery process.
“This is the first time that the PGA Tour and Monahan have ‘taken it on the chin” and lost a motion to dismiss an antitrust complaint filed against them,” said Klayman via a statement released by Freedom Watch.
“What is significant is that this case will now proceed to discovery, and for the first time, the PGA Tour and its commissioner will be held accountable for anticompetitive conduct.
“The whole truth will now be exposed for all to see and hear. The Court’s ruling is thus a major victory for golf fans, and by extension LIV Golf, whose players have been defamed and trashed by the defendants with their captive purveyors of fake news in the golf media, such as NBC’s Golf Channel, the PGA Tour’s admitted incestuous partner. Let justice ring!”
The suit also names DP World Tour CEO Keith Pelley alongside Monahan as breaking competition laws by conspiring to restrain trade.
Paul Higham is a sports journalist with over 20 years of experience in covering most major sporting events for both Sky Sports and BBC Sport. He is currently freelance and covers the golf majors on the BBC Sport website. Highlights over the years include covering that epic Monday finish in the Ryder Cup at Celtic Manor and watching Rory McIlroy produce one of the most dominant Major wins at the 2011 US Open at Congressional. He also writes betting previews and still feels strangely proud of backing Danny Willett when he won the Masters in 2016 - Willett also praised his putting stroke during a media event before the Open at Hoylake. Favourite interviews he's conducted have been with McIlroy, Paul McGinley, Thomas Bjorn, Rickie Fowler and the enigma that is Victor Dubuisson. A big fan of watching any golf from any tour, sadly he spends more time writing about golf than playing these days with two young children, and as a big fair weather golfer claims playing in shorts is worth at least five shots. Being from Liverpool he loves the likes of Hoylake, Birkdale and the stretch of tracks along England's Golf Coast, but would say his favourite courses played are Kingsbarns and Portrush.
-
How Many Monday Finishes Have There Been At The Players Championship?
The Players Championship is the PGA Tour's flagship event and, throughout its history, there have been eight Monday finishes, with the last being in 2022
By Matt Cradock Published
-
How Much The Winning Caddie Earns At The Players Championship
The Players Championship provides players with a huge tournament purse and it also means the caddies receive a handy payday as well
By Matt Cradock Published
-
Rory McIlroy Reunited With Old Clubs After Near $1000 Uber Ride
The four-time Major winner switched back to his old clubs at the Arnold Palmer Invitational, with the Uber trip to get them costing a near $1000
By Matt Cradock Published
-
College Golfer Apologizes After Being Removed From TPC Sawgrass For Heckling Rory McIlroy
University of Texas golfer, Luke Potter made a comment to McIlroy during Tuesday's practice round which caused the World No.2 to take his phone
By Jonny Leighfield Published
-
Report: Work On Tiger Woods Biopic To Begin - With Barack Obama's Film Company Involved
A film about the life and career of Tiger Woods is reportedly in the works, with Barack Obama's production company likely to be involved
By Paul Higham Published
-
Is It Finally Time For Tiger Woods To Walk Away From Professional Golf?
The 15-time Major winner faces another long spell on the sidelines after undergoing achilles surgery
By Elliott Heath Published
-
Tiger Woods Among 5 Eligible Golfers Not In The Players Championship Field
The Players Championship always claims to have 'the best field in golf', with just a handful of eligible pros not involved at TPC Sawgrass in 2025
By Jonny Leighfield Published
-
Is Tiger Woods’ 2025 Season Done Before It Even Started? Orthopedic Surgeon Explains 15-Time Major Winner’s Latest Injury And Recovery Timeline
We sat down with Professor Nima Heidari, a Consultant Orthopedic And Trauma Surgeon of the Foot and Ankle at The London Clinic, to find out more about Woods' recent Achilles tendon surgery
By Matt Cradock Published
-
'Something Went Terribly Wrong If I Have To Compete At 50' - Rory McIlroy Categorically Rules Out Playing Senior Tour Golf
Asked about his long-term plans, the Northern Irishman insisted he would not be visiting the Champions Tour once he's retired from pro golf
By Jonny Leighfield Published
-
Tiger Woods Reveals Latest Injury Setback
The 15-time Major winner has had surgery after rupturing a tendon in his left achilles while training at home in Florida
By Elliott Heath Published