12 of the juiciest golfing court cases

1. Phil Mickelson vs Bearing Point

‘Lefty’ took his ex-sponsors to court for what he claimed was a breach of contract. Phil claimed he had worn the company’s logo on his hat in a number of events after extending a deal that Bearing Point said should never have been made. The result was never disclosed.

2. Casey Martin vs PGA Tour

Disabled pro Martin took the PGA Tour to the supreme court in Washington in 2001 for the right to use a buggy in top-tier tournaments. The judge found in his favour, much to the consternation of Jack Nicklaus and Arnold Palmer, amongst others.

3. David Toms vs David Parker

Ryder Cup star Toms sued his agent Parker in 2005 in order to terminate his contract and seeking money he claimed he was never paid for sponsorships. The lawsuit was filed in the 1st Judicial District Court in Shreveport and was eventually settled out of court.

4. Nikki Garrett vs Zoo magazine

The Aussie ace sued the lads’ mag late in 2007 for making her out to be a prostitute. It alleged that she was the type of girl who ‘has sex indiscriminately with men’ and who is ‘so lustful, she likes having sex on a golf course’. Needless to say, she won.

5. Fuzzy Zoeller vs Wikipedia (kind of)

Editable online encyclopaedia Wikipedia upset former Masters champ Zoeller when his profile on the site was altered to imply he had alcohol and substance abuse problems. Unable to sue the site itself, he instead sued the offending editor via his computer’s unique IP address.

6. Tiger Woods vs Rick Bush

In 2002, world No.1 Woods accused Alabama-based artist Rush of exploiting his likeness for commercial gain after he started selling paintings of Tiger winning golf event. The outcome? Woods won, naturally.

7. Arnold Palmer vs WDI Systems Inc

A lawsuit was filed against Palmer and his co-owners of Bay Hill GC by Japanese company WDI Systems for a breach of contract. It offered to buy the club for $36m and paid a £3m deposit. It then found the club riddled with undeclared problems and tried to withdraw.

8. Lee Trevino vs Ralph Hackett

Former Open champion Trevino was sued by his former caddie Hackett for an unpaid debt after the American had a hole-in-one and won a car. Hackett believed he was entitled to a percentage share of the car’s value. The county court judge, however, didn’t.

9. Ernie Els vs Simon Masilo

The ‘Big Easy’ was taken to court by former caddie Masilo, who claimed that he never received payment for being on the South African’s bag when he won the Sun City Golf Challenge in 1999 and 2000. However, the action was subsequently withdrawn.

10. Tiger Woods vs Gotta Have It Golf Inc

In 2014, Woods and his company, ETW Corp, came out on the losing end of a lawsuit filed against it by Gotta Have It Golf, Inc, a Miami memorabilia concern. Owner Bruce Matthews claimed in the suit “that Woods breached a 2001 licensing agreement by not providing a specified number of autographs and photographs.” An all-female jury of six awarded Gotta Have it Golf $668,000.

11. Jack Nicklaus vs Ogio International

Golf bag maker Ogio took the Golden Bear’s company to court in 2006 for what it claimed was a patent infringement on one of its product designs. The outcome of the case was never divulged.

12. Rory McIlroy vs Horizon Sports Management

The world No.1 filed a suit against his former management firm for charging him excessive fees during the brief period that they worked together. In return, the Dublin-based company brought a counter-suit against the Northern Irishman for outstanding fees, alleging breaches of contract at a time when McIlroy signed his multi-million pound deal with Nike. The dispute was settled with McIlroy shelling out around $20m to his former management company.

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