Is Phil Mickelson dropping out of LIV Golf’s lawsuit against the PGA Tour?

Phil Mickelson was one of the LIV Golf series’ first signings. The 52-year-old World Golf Hall of Famer made his debut in the Saudi-backed series in June. He has been in the news ever since.

The 2021 PGA Tour champion reportedly bagged around $200million to make the switch from PGA Tour to LIV Golf. However, his move caused him some damage as the American tour suspended him.

PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan, who announced that strict action will be taken against LIV rebels, suspended Mickelson for two years for reasons such as "attempting to recruit players to join [LIV Golf]."

Following this, all players who jumped ship from the American tour to LIV were also suspended. The golfers decided to put up a fight and filed an antitrust lawsuit against the PGA for its actions. Mickelson, who dubbed his suspension as "unlawful," also joined the lawsuit. However, he is now considering withdrawing from the case.

Phil Mickelson might withdraw from lawsuit aginst PGA Tour

Phil Mickelson joined 10 other LIV golfers to file the antitrust lawsuit against PGA, demanding an opportunity to play in the PGA Tour series in the future. Now, a month after filing the suit, Mickelson has hinted at pulling out of it. According to him, the former PGA Tour champion might take his name off the case, which also has LIV Golf itself joining in as a plaintiff.

Speaking about the lawsuit following the LIV Golf pro-am at Rich Harvest Farms on August 15, Phil Mickelson said:

“I haven’t done anything yet, but now that LIV is involved, it’s not necessary for me to be a part of it… I currently still am [part of the lawsuit]. I don’t know what I’m really going to do. The only reason for me to stay in it is damages, which, I don’t really want or need anything.”

It is pertinent to note that Mickelson has been the face of LIV Golf in its civil war against the PGA. The golfer has faced harsh criticism from the golf world following his decision to make the jump. The situation worsened when Mickelson came on the record to slam the American circuit, accusing it of “obnoxious greed”. Although he hinted at withdrawing from the lawsuit, the golfer backed the case.

“I do think that it’s important that players have the right to be able to play when and where they want and when and where they’ve qualified for. Now that LIV is a part of [the lawsuit], that will be accomplished if and when they win.”

Phil Mickelson’s decision to withdraw from the lawsuit may also lie in the potential length of the case. The trial is likely to run for years. The current date for the summary judgment filing has been set for July 23, 2023. The trial is most likely to begin in January 2024. The original lawsuit was filed in August.

Apart from Phil Mickelson, Bryson DeChambeau, Talor Gooch, Hudson Swafford, Matt Jones, Ian Poulter and Peter Uihlein are among the other names mentioned in the lawsuit.

However, since the original court filing, Carlos Ortiz, Pat Perez, Abraham Ancer and Jason Kokrak have all dropped out. It is safe to say that the players feel confident enough to pull out of the case considering the fact that LIV Golf itself is now a plaintiff.