Legal Actions Certain to Result by LIV Golfers & Others!
(Jupiter Florida, June 24, 2022) Today, Larry Klayman, the founder of both Judicial Watch and Freedom Watch and a former federal prosecutor in the Antitrust Division of the U.S. Department of Justice (“DOJ”), a former U.S. Senate candidate in Florida, and who was on the DOJ trial team that broke up the AT&T monopoly, had this to say about the Professional Golf Association’s (“PGA’s”) attempt to use its dominant market power to stifle competition in the golf industry through monopolization, group boycotts, market division and other anti-competitive acts.
“Jay Monahan, the arrogant commissioner of the PGA Tour, in a recent press conference, showed his hand. Effectively admitting that the PGA Tour will attempt to kill the new LIV Golf Tour, using Saudi financing as a pretext, Monahan admitted that the PGA Tour is itself affiliated with other tours, such as the DP World Tour, which, like the LIV Tour, is largely financed by Arab-Muslim money. Hypocritically, the hard fact is that Arab-Muslim money is already a large part of world golf, and thus the PGA Tour’s attempt to monopolize golf, as well as attempting to lean on and have other tours, in addition to the PGA Tour, sanction and ban players who choose to be a part of the LIV Golf Tour, would constitute other per se violations of the antitrust laws, commonly known as an illegal group boycott and market division.
“As an apparent result of Monohan’s and the PGA Tour’s anti-competitive conduct, just this morning the DP World Tour, heavily financed by Arab-Muslim money in its own right, announced heavy fines and sanctions against its players who have participated and intend to participate in LIV Tour events. Describing themselves as ‘partners,’ the PGA Tour and the DP World Tour, have now clearly colluded and thus cemented legal claims against them for violation of the antitrust and competition law, as this apparent anti-competitive and anti-free market collusion is actionable.
“Accordingly, those former PGA star players such as Phil Mickelson, Dustin Johnson, Brooks Koepka, Sergio Garcia, Bryson De Chambeau, Patrick Reed, Lee Westwood, Kevin Na, Louis Oosterheisen, Abraham Ancer, Ian Poulter and a host of others who have been suspended by the PGA Tour for joining the LIV Golf Tour, along with the just sanctioned players on the DP World Tour, many of whom also are or were players on the PGA Tour, coupled with the PGA Tour’s and the DP World Tour’s attempted monopolization, group boycott and market division, have legal rights which can and should be asserted against the PGA Tour and the DP World Tour.
“As someone who believes in competition, and as an antitrust lawyer among other legal specialties, I am committed to seeing that the PGA Tour and the DP World Tour, who are believed to comprise over 90 percent of the golf tour market, do not kill competition in the greatest sport the world has ever known, particularly when it comes to integrity, sportsmanship and class in particular.
“Freedom to choose and excel in golf, without anti-competitive repercussions, is as important as freedom generally to the nation as a whole! And, frankly I do not take kindly to arrogant bullies like Monahan, and his PGA Tour and the DP World Tour!”
(Jupiter Florida, June 24, 2022) Today, Larry Klayman, the founder of both Judicial Watch and Freedom Watch and a former federal prosecutor in the Antitrust Division of the U.S. Department of Justice (“DOJ”), a former U.S. Senate candidate in Florida, and who was on the DOJ trial team that broke up the AT&T monopoly, had this to say about the Professional Golf Association’s (“PGA’s”) attempt to use its dominant market power to stifle competition in the golf industry through monopolization, group boycotts, market division and other anti-competitive acts.
“Jay Monahan, the arrogant commissioner of the PGA Tour, in a recent press conference, showed his hand. Effectively admitting that the PGA Tour will attempt to kill the new LIV Golf Tour, using Saudi financing as a pretext, Monahan admitted that the PGA Tour is itself affiliated with other tours, such as the DP World Tour, which, like the LIV Tour, is largely financed by Arab-Muslim money. Hypocritically, the hard fact is that Arab-Muslim money is already a large part of world golf, and thus the PGA Tour’s attempt to monopolize golf, as well as attempting to lean on and have other tours, in addition to the PGA Tour, sanction and ban players who choose to be a part of the LIV Golf Tour, would constitute other per se violations of the antitrust laws, commonly known as an illegal group boycott and market division.
“As an apparent result of Monohan’s and the PGA Tour’s anti-competitive conduct, just this morning the DP World Tour, heavily financed by Arab-Muslim money in its own right, announced heavy fines and sanctions against its players who have participated and intend to participate in LIV Tour events. Describing themselves as ‘partners,’ the PGA Tour and the DP World Tour, have now clearly colluded and thus cemented legal claims against them for violation of the antitrust and competition law, as this apparent anti-competitive and anti-free market collusion is actionable.
“Accordingly, those former PGA star players such as Phil Mickelson, Dustin Johnson, Brooks Koepka, Sergio Garcia, Bryson De Chambeau, Patrick Reed, Lee Westwood, Kevin Na, Louis Oosterheisen, Abraham Ancer, Ian Poulter and a host of others who have been suspended by the PGA Tour for joining the LIV Golf Tour, along with the just sanctioned players on the DP World Tour, many of whom also are or were players on the PGA Tour, coupled with the PGA Tour’s and the DP World Tour’s attempted monopolization, group boycott and market division, have legal rights which can and should be asserted against the PGA Tour and the DP World Tour.
“As someone who believes in competition, and as an antitrust lawyer among other legal specialties, I am committed to seeing that the PGA Tour and the DP World Tour, who are believed to comprise over 90 percent of the golf tour market, do not kill competition in the greatest sport the world has ever known, particularly when it comes to integrity, sportsmanship and class in particular.
“Freedom to choose and excel in golf, without anti-competitive repercussions, is as important as freedom generally to the nation as a whole! And, frankly I do not take kindly to arrogant bullies like Monahan, and his PGA Tour and the DP World Tour!”
