The ‘LIV 11’ lawsuit was always going to make public the internal rows and wrangling between players, organizers and the various tours.

• Related: ‘Stay away in your fantasy land’ – Pro blasts LIV rebels over wanting to play PGA Tour events

Amongst the 11, three players – Talor Gooch, Matt Jones and Hudson Swafford – are seeking a TRO (temporary restraining order) in order to be able to play the FedEx Cup events, starting on Thursday.

• Related: ‘We just won’t play’ – Major champ says PGA Tour pros could strike if LIV ban is overturned

As reported last week, the complaint from the LIV players alleges that being denied access to the FedEx Cup Playoffs not only would prevent Gooch, Swafford and Jones from playing in those events but “also cripples their chances of qualifying for both the Majors and the Tour’s premier invitationals in future seasons. The punishment that would accrue to these players from not being able to play in the FedEx Cup Playoffs is substantial and irreparable, and a temporary restraining order is needed to prevent the irreparable harm that would ensue were they not to be able to participate.”

The PGA Tour yesterday issued its response to the accusation, the 30-plus page document stating that “the TRO plaintiffs waited nearly two months to seek relief from the court, “fabricating an emergency they now maintain requires immediate action.”

The PGA Tour continues:

“Despite knowing full well that they would breach Tour Regulations and be suspended for doing so, plaintiffs have joined competing golf league LIV Golf, which has paid them tens and hundreds of millions of dollars in guaranteed money supplied by Saudi Arabia’s sovereign wealth fund to procure their breaches. TRO plaintiffs now run into court seeking a mandatory injunction to force their way into the Tour’s season-ending FedExCup Playoffs, an action that would harm all Tour members that follow the rules. The antitrust laws do not allow Plaintiffs to have their cake and eat it too.”

The tour uses several statements from the plaintiffs in its defence.

When asked if he knew the tour would ban him from the tour for playing without a conflicting event-release, Jones said, “you’ve got to expect” it and acknowledged the possibility of never playing on the PGA Tour again after his suspension. “I did come to this [LIV] series and this tournament with the understanding that could be the case.”

The tour also argues against Gooch’s statement at the Open Championship that he only intended to play a single LIV event before getting suspended, the tour believing that he was intending to play more than the inaugural event at the Centurion Club.

Alongside those objections, the PGA Tour object to the accusation of pressuring sponsors to cancel existing deals with LIV players, that it enlisted the more experienced players, such as Tiger Woods, to intimidate players from joining, and that it colluded with the DP World Tour in its reaction to the defections.

The document ends, “For the foregoing reasons, the PGA Tour respectfully requests that the court deny TRO.”

Elliot Peters of Keker, Van Nest & Peters, representing the PGA Tour, confirmed the stance being taken by the leading tour.

“The players’ participation in the LIV league is in violation of the PGA Tour’s Handbook and Tournament Regulations,” he stated.

“For enormous sums of cash supplied by Saudi Arabia’s sovereign wealth fund, Plaintiffs willfully breached their agreements with the PGA Tour. The players’ purported harm is entirely self-induced. We will litigate this case vigorously to preserve the reputation of the PGA Tour and protect the benefits it offers to players.”

In the past few months, the golfers who’ve chosen to join LIV Golf have faced extreme criticism by media, fans and fellow players.

• Related: Bryson provides entirely confused pizza analogy to describe current situation between PGA Tour and LIV

The fact that the money is being sourced by the Saudi Government has been one of the main points of contention as well as the fact the events feel like more of an exhibition than a professional golf event.

• Related: Why Greg Norman rejected John Daly after the 2-time major champ ‘begged Greg to join LIV’

However, one of the other criticisms that have been echoed quite often is the lack of honesty of those who have joined LIV Golf. Many have claimed their reason for joining was to “grow the game” or for a new and unique experience. Even those who have been supportive of LIV would have a hard time claiming that those were the most influential factors of those who’ve left.

David Feherty, who made his LIV Golf debut at Trump Bedminster two weeks ago isn’t among those who are sugarcoating their reasons for joining the Saudi-backed golf series.

In a recent interview with Gary Koch, the eccentric TV personality admitted money was his primary motivator when asked by the host why he made the move:

“Money. People don’t talk about it. I hear, ‘Well, it’s to grow the game. Bullsh*t. They paid me a lot of money.”

Feherty also expressed that the opportunity to be himself again was another reason he was excited to join LIV.

“It was an opportunity to be myself again,” he said. “It’s become more and more difficult, especially in sports broadcasting, to have any kind of character. Charles Barkley can say pretty much anything he wants, because it’s, ‘Oh, that’s just Charles.’ And it is just Charles. But I have become more and more guarded over the last few years.”

As for critics who Feherty feels are ‘hoping to be offended by something’, Feherty did not mince his words, saying:

“There are people waiting around every corner hoping to be offended by something. F*** those people. Our lives are being shaped by small groups of mean-spirited people who have no sense of humor. We’re in danger of losing our national sense of humor because of this.”

Feherty was also asked about the source of the money and Saudi Arabia’s ties to 9/11.

“The 9 /11 Commission said that the Saudi government wasn’t involved,” the 63-year-old said.

“People that criticize are doing business with China, doing business with Russia. China, in particular, is a country where they’re murdering Uyghurs left, right, and centre, and their human rights record is horrendous.

“You can point to various countries throughout the world. I wouldn’t want to behave like that, but wherever golf is, good happens, and I’m hoping this will do the same thing. [LIV] has said it’s going to donate $100 million to area charities.”

More from the 19th Hole

• ‘Your tee times at Augusta are numbered’ – Wife of Masters legend lashes out at Bryson DeChambeau
• Why Phil Mickelson’s Open playing partner told Lefty that he’s hated him for 11 years
• YouTube sensation ejected by Brooks Koepka at Open Championship party

This morning, Gary Player issued a statement via his Twitter account. According to the statement, Gary’s son, Marc has been auctioning off trophies and memorabilia without his father’s permission.

A statement on the unauthorized sale of Gary Player trophies & memorabilia. pic.twitter.com/2tilBplJOL

— GARY PLAYER (@garyplayer) August 8, 2022

This isn’t the first dispute between Player and his son, Marc. Back in 2020, the nine-time major champion won a settlement in court against Marc. Player got $5 million and the rights to his name and likeness back from a company operated by Marc in a Florida lawsuit.

The Player family are no strangers to controversy, with Gary’s other son, Wayne, banned from the Masters for life after pulling a guerrilla marketing stunt during the opening ceremony tee shots back in 2021.

More from the 19th Hole

• ‘Your tee times at Augusta are numbered’ – Wife of Masters legend lashes out at Bryson DeChambeau
• Why Phil Mickelson’s Open playing partner told Lefty that he’s hated him for 11 years
• YouTube sensation ejected by Brooks Koepka at Open Championship party