Bryson DeChambeau and Matt Jones have removed their names from the antitrust lawsuit that was filed against the PGA Tour last year. They were the last two players still involved in the litigation.
Last August, 11 players filed the lawsuit in U.S. District Court in Northern California after being suspended by the Tour for joining LIV Golf and violating the circuit’s conflicting-event release policy. That number dropped to three players, including Peter Uihlein, who withdrew his name from the lawsuit last week.
DeChambeau’s manager, Brett Falkoff, confirmed his client’s decision to withdraw from the litigation, which was first reported by Golfweek.com
“Bryson has made the decision to remove himself from the ongoing litigation between LIV Golf and the PGA Tour,” Falkoff said via a text. “Bryson wants to solely focus on competing at the highest level week in and week out. He will continue to support the growth of golf and its expansion on a global scale, contributing both on and off the course as a positive influence on the game.”
GolfChannel.com also confirmed through Jones’ agent that the Australian had removed his name. When asked by Golfweek.com at this week’s LIV Golf event in Tulsa, Oklahoma, why he withdrew from the lawsuit, Jones said, “No reason at all.”
LIV Golf joined the lawsuit as a plaintiff last year and the Tour has filed a countersuit that now includes the Public Investment Fund of Saudi Arabia (PIF), which owns 93 percent of the breakaway league, according to court documents, and its governor.
Attorneys for the players originally argued for an expedited schedule to protect players from what they claim is the Tour’s monopolistic practices, but the proceedings have stalled with the PIF filing an appeal with the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals and a backlog of discovery disputes. The trial is scheduled for May 2024.
Along with DeChambeau, Jones and Uihlein, the original lawsuit included Phil Mickelson, Talor Gooch, Hudson Swafford, Abraham Ancer, Carlos Ortiz, Ian Poulter, Pat Perez and Jason Kokrak. The lawsuit was originally named Mickelson et al vs. PGA Tour Inc., but was renamed when he withdrew from the suit to Jones et al vs. PGA Tour Inc.