Phil Mickelson was among the golfers who were suspended by the PGA Tour back in June after he took part in the first LIV Golf event, but it turns out he had already been banned by the Tour for months at that point.
A group of LIV golfers filed an antitrust lawsuit against the PGA Tour on Wednesday. One of the claims made in the suit is that Mickelson was suspended by PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan on March 22 for “attempting to recruit players to join [LIV Golf],” among other supposed violations. The suspension was supposed to be for two months, but Mickelson was not granted reinstatement when he applied for it on June 20.
According to the lawsuit, the Tour told Mickelson he was banned through at least March 31, 2023 when he first applied for reinstatement. The suspension was then extended through March 31, 2024 after the 52-year-old took part in the LIV Golf event in Portland on June 30.
Mickelson stepped away from golf voluntarily earlier this year. He apologized after he was criticized for some of his comments about working with the Saudi-backed LIV league. He was then suspended along with his fellow golfers when the PGA Tour made its initial ruling in June. However, this is the first we have heard about Mickelson or anyone else being banned for a minimum of nearly two years.
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