Toscano
Toscano v. PGA Tour, Inc.
Opinion
Opinion
Levi, J.
MEMORANDUM OF OPINION AND ORDER
Plaintiff Harry Toscano brings this action against the PGA Tour, Inc. (“the Tour”), the individual officers and directors of the Tour, and various sponsors of the Tour’s golf tournaments, alleging that they conspired to restrain trade in senior professional golf in violation of Section One of the Sherman Antitrust Act, 15 U.S.C. § 1 . The sponsor defendants move for summary judgment.
I.
The Senior PGA Tour co-sponsors professional golf tournaments for players over the age of 50. (March 23, 1998 Mem. of Op. & Order at 1.) Toscano challenges the Tour’s regulations governing (1) player eligibility, and (2) player participation in non-PGA events.
The Tour’s Rules and Regulations provide for a 78-player field for each tournament. A player is exempt from having to compete in the qualifying rounds of the tournament if he has secured 75 or more victories in Senior PGA or PGA Tour events or is within any of the following categories: (1) the top 31 available players from the previous year’s Tour Money List; (2) the top 31 available players from the All-Time Career Money List (which includes purses won both in Senior PGA Tour tournaments and in PGA…