US court reportedly denies LIV information over Augusta National members

After requesting records of communications involving members of Augusta National to assist with its lawsuit against the PGA Tour, LIV Golf was denied in court, according to Golfweek.

The reported request came as part of subpoenas that LIV Golf attorneys dished out to former PGA Tour commissioner Tim Finchem and past and present policy board directors of the PGA Tour.

LIV sought communications between those parties “and any member of Augusta National relating to a New Tour, including but not limited to LIV Golf”, per Golfweek.

Lawyers representing LIV Golf tried to make a case that former US secretary of state Condoleezza Rice and Stephens Bank CEO Warren Stephens were pushing the justice department to avoid investigating the PGA Tour.

On Monday, though, magistrate judge Susan van Keulen struck the request down in the US District Court of Northern California.

“The cited documents do not implicate in any way the subpoenaed parties. Nor do they reflect communications by or between the identified additional targets,” Van Keulen said in her ruling.

“Indeed, for the most part, the identified targets appear merely as names on lists or in other oblique references made by others.

“Any connection between an identified target and a subpoenaed party, based on the cited documents, is highly speculative.”

Fired back

LIV Golf attorneys accused the PGA Tour of illegally suspending players competing in LIV, with their most recent grievance surrounding the Tour’s threats of preventing golfers from playing in the Masters.

However, Augusta National chair Fred Ridley fired back, confirming in December that past Masters champions such as Phil Mickelson, Dustin Johnson and Patrick Reed — who are all now playing on the LIV circuit — would be welcomed to play in the 2023 Masters.

“We will invite those eligible under our current criteria to compete in the 2023 Masters Tournament,” said Ridley.

“Regrettably, recent actions have divided men’s professional golf by diminishing the virtues of the game and the meaningful legacies of those who built it.

“Though we are disappointed in these developments, our focus is to honour the tradition of bringing together a pre-eminent field of golfers this coming April.”

Ridley did say that there could be revisions of the eligibility criteria.

Season begins

Meanwhile, LIV Golf's 2023 schedule will have 14 events set to be played in seven countries with $405m in prize purses, the breakaway tour announced, doubling the number of events from its inaugural season last year.

The season begins with a February 24-26 event in Mexico’s Riviera Maya and ends with the team championship in the first week of November in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.

Other events will take place in the US, Australia, Singapore, Spain and the UK. The 2022 season had events held in London, Portland, Bedminster, Boston, Chicago, Bangkok and Jeddah.

“Last year helped lay the foundation for the future of golf at extraordinary courses that have hosted some of the world’s top competitions,” LIV Golf CEO and commissioner Greg Norman said in a statement.

“LIV Golf’s schedule features fantastic venues and championship sites for our official league launch that will carry the sport into a new era.”

Bankrolled by Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund, LIV Golf caused a stir in the sport last year when it lured players away from the existing tours with the promise of guaranteed, big-money paydays and a reduced schedule.

Top players such as Cameron Smith, Johnson, Mickelson, Brooks Koepka, Bryson DeChambeau, Sergio Garcia and Reed joined LIV Golf, with the US-based PGA Tour suspending members who opted to join the rival circuit.

Critics say LIV Golf amounts to blatant “sportswashing” by a nation trying to improve its reputation tarnished by a history of human rights abuses.

Earlier in January, LIV Golf secured the US television rights deal it was seeking with the CW Network which will broadcast all 14 events of the Saudi-backed series.

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