Tiger Woods, Rory McIlroy and PGA Tour slapped with lawsuit by ex-Republican U.S. Senate candidate over LIV Golf merger
Tiger Woods, Rory McIlroy, the PGA Tour and other individuals and entities were sued again this Tuesday (Nov. 12), over the LIV Golf dispute. The plaintiff is Larry Klayman, the same plaintiff who filed the previous lawsuit over the same issue in 2022 (then known as the PGA Antitrust case).
Klayman filed this new lawsuit in the 11th Judicial Circuit, Miami-Dade County, Florida. In addition to Woods and McIlroy, the long list of defendants includes the PGA Tour and its commissioner Jay Monahan, as well as the DP World Tour and its former commissioner Keith Pelley.
Also listed as a defendant is the Hecker Fink law firm, which represented several of the above in the 2022 case. There is also the Honorable Luis Delgado, Judge of the 15th Judicial Circuit of Florida, who presided over the PGA Antitrust case.
Klayman's lawsuit alleges that Tiger Woods, Rory McIlroy, the PGA Tour and the other defendants acted maliciously against LIV Golf. One of his arguments is that players in the Greg Norman-led league do not receive world ranking points, which affects their ability to qualify for Major championships.
As for Judge Delgado, Klayman claims that his misconduct was related to his failure to properly evaluate the arguments made in the 2022 lawsuit. He also cites unwarranted delays and obstructions.
Larry Klayman is an American attorney who served as a prosecutor in the Antitrust Division of the U.S. Department of Justice during the Reagan administration. He later founded Judicial Watch and Freedom Watch.
Klayman has filed numerous lawsuits against political figures and government institutions on a variety of issues. His defendants have included the Clinton administration, Barack Obama, Joe and Hunter Biden, among others.
In 2004, Klayman tried to become a candidate for the US Senate from the state of Florida, but lost the Republican Party primary. He finished seventh out of eight challengers.
Status of the dispute between the PGA Tour and LIV Golf
Since the inception of LIV Golf, several lawsuits have been filed by both sides. Most of these have been dismissed or withdrawn by the parties in the midst of negotiations between the PGA Tour and the Public Investment Fund (PIF) of Saudi Arabia.
As of November 2024, the PGA Tour and the PIF are still negotiating a final agreement. Representatives from both parties have met several times in recent months, including the leaders of both organisations, Jay Monahan and Yasir Al-Rumayyan, who played together in the Pro-Am event of the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship.
Tiger Woods sits on the PGA Tour's Policy Board and has played an active role in the negotiations over the past few months. Rory McIlroy, meanwhile, does not have a seat on the tour's board but has been involved in the negotiating team.