When LIV Golf came onto the scene, offering massive prize money and signing some of the PGA Tour’s top golfers — including Dustin Johnson, Phil Mickelson, Bryson DeChambeau, and Brooks Koepka with unprecedented guaranteed deals worth hundreds of millions of dollars — professional golf’s longstanding model suddenly looked vulnerable. This wasn’t simply a new rival, it was a direct challenge to the PGA Tour’s very existence, backed by antitrust allegations, that forced the PGA Tour to effectively reinvent itself overnight. And now professional golf is at a crossroads, and antitrust law — not just tradition — is helping to drive the sport’s next chapter.

For decades, PGA Tour and LPGA Tour golfers have operated as independent contractors without guaranteed salaries or benefits. This business model has always been risky, particularly for players outside the elite ranks. LIV Golf’s arrival, wielding enormous contracts and massive prize money, has forced a dramatic shift. The PGA Tour had no choice but to respond, significantly raising purses and introducing new incentives to prevent top players from defecting.

This transformation wasn’t the typical evolution driven by rising broadcast revenues or stronger player unions, it was a direct result of LIV’s aggressive moves and the subsequent antitrust lawsuit it filed against the PGA Tour. Even after the lawsuit’s settlement, critical antitrust issues remain active, challenging exclusive contracts, player restrictions and even the PGA Tour’s control over data (like ShotLink). These developments mark just the beginning of a deeper examination into........

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