LIV Golf once again denies that prize money won by players at events is applied to their respective initial money.
The subject came up again Tuesday during a hearing during which three LIV Golf players tried to obtain a special temporary injunction compete in the inaugural FedEx Cup playoff event this week in Memphis.
During the hearing, LIV players’ attorney Robert Walters said in what appeared to be an offhand remark about player compensation to Judge Beth Labson Freeman. Here’s how the exchange went:
Judge Freeman: “Well, these contracts provide for payments simply for showing up to the first tournament.”
Robert Walters: “Well, they do, but then they have to make money to be able to get the contract back, so they’re a little different.”
This point was not raised during the proceedings, but it has remained an issue since the LIV Golf Invitational Series launched in June outside London: do players only receive prize money when the amount exceeds their guaranteed salary?
Their categorical answer: no.
“I have not yet received the minutes of yesterday’s proceedings, but it appears there is a misunderstanding regarding the stock exchanges,” Atul Khosla, president and chief operating officer of LIV Golf, said in a statement. note. “This problem is simple and we have already solved it. Prize money is of course separate from the contractual sums that players win. As you already know, prize money is not subtracted from a player’s contractual winnings.
“That’s all we can say about it.”
A LIV Golf official made a similar announcement at the Portland event and reiterated Tuesday: “We maintain that each player’s contract is separate from the prize money.”
Sports Illustrated contacted two LIV players and a player agent independent of each other and each said they received purse money earned at their events.
Freeman, in federal court in Northern California, ruled against players Talor Gooch, Hudson Swafford and Matt Jones in their bid to get relief to play this week. She set the antitrust trial date for next September.
Related: Rory McIlroy is happy to see LIV Golf denied in court
