LIV Golf is facing a major legal challenge after two English companies accused the league of using their original plans to build the Saudi-backed circuit.
The lawsuit was filed in the Commercial Court in London by lawyers representing World Golf Group (WGG) and Premier Golf League (PGL). The companies are seeking between $210 million and $630 million in damages.
The claim also names Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF), Golf Saudi, and several individuals. The lawsuit accuses the defendants of breach of confidence and unlawful means conspiracy.
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Lawsuit Claims LIV Golf Used Confidential Plans
According to the court filing, businessman Andy Gardiner first came up with the idea for a global golf league in 2009. He later formed a company called Mayen Limited before bringing Richard Marsh into the project as a consultant in 2016.
In 2017, Gardiner met Jed Moore, who was working at sports marketing company Performance54. The following year, Gardiner, Marsh, and Moore became part of the group that launched World Golf Group.
The lawsuit says the group spent years developing the Premier Golf League. It created business plans, financial models, player contracts, and other confidential material designed to launch a new worldwide golf circuit. In August 2018, investment bank Raine Group agreed to provide up to $100 million in funding to help start the project.
“The Claimants conceived the idea for a new golf league called the Premier Golf League,” the complaint says in part. “Over the course of several years, the Claimants refined the format of this league and produced business plans, contracts, financial models and other intellectual property belonging to the Claimants, which provided the blueprint for its launch and success. The Defendants conspired together to use the Claimants’ confidential information without the permission of the Claimants to launch the LIV Golf League.”
The lawsuit claims Moore later met Golf Saudi CEO Majed Al Sorour while working at the 2019 Saudi International. Moore and Gardiner also met PIF governor Yasir Al-Rumayyan to discuss possible investment in the Premier Golf League. PIF representatives and Golf Saudi were later given access to confidential documents through an online data room. The documents reportedly included business plans, financial information, promotional material, and player contracts.
The complaint says PIF later signed a non-binding letter of intent to provide $490 million as part of a wider $1 billion investment plan. That funding depended on the league signing top professional golfers.
The lawsuit also says representatives from the Premier Golf League, Raine Group, and PIF met with several leading PGA Tour players and their agents, including Phil Mickelson, Justin Rose, Patrick Reed, and Adam Scott.
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The plaintiffs claim that LIV Golf copied many of the Premier Golf League’s ideas when it launched in June 2022. They point to features such as shotgun starts, team and individual competitions played at the same time, four-player teams led by captains, and the original 54-hole format.
The lawsuit also accuses former World Golf Group founders Richard Marsh and Jed Moore of breaching their fiduciary duties by helping PIF launch LIV Golf instead.
LIV Golf has received more than $5 billion in funding from the Public Investment Fund since its launch. However, PIF announced on April 30 that it would stop funding the league after the 2026 season.
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That decision has left LIV Golf searching for new investors. CEO Scott O’Neil is now trying to raise $300 million to keep the league operating beyond this season, while the new lawsuit adds another major challenge for the future of the breakaway tour.
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