Journeyman Pat Perez reinstated by PGA after making a fortune at LIV. When he'll compete next is a big question

Pat Perez was a journeyman pro, better known for his acerbic sense of humor than his play on the PGA Tour, before he was among the first American players to defect to LIV Golf in 2022. Perez stayed a journeyman, never coming close to winning on the Saudi-backed circuit, though he was the poster guy for the league’s easy money when his Dustin Johnson-led 4Aces team won the $16 million first prize in the inaugural season.

“All the push-back, all the negative comments, everything we've gotten, at this point I really don't care. … I'm paid. I don't give a damn,” Perez said at the time.

With a 48th-place individual finish in the 2024 season, Perez lost a team spot on LIV for ’25 and became an on-course commentator.

There has been speculation of late that Perez would be held back from re-joining the PGA Tour because of that broadcast duty, yet the tour confirmed, first to Sports Illustrated, that Perez has been reinstated as a tour member, though the organization is not saying when Perez will be able to compete again.

Perez turns 50 in March and could be eligible to compete on PGA Tour Champions if the tour eventually gives him the go-ahead. Perez is already eligible to play in the U.S. Senior Open, Senior PGA Championship and Senior British Open.

Because he didn’t win a major or Players Championship from 2022-25—he had one top-10 all-time in 27 majors—Perez doesn’t qualify for the recently announced Returning Member Program that brought Brooks Koepka back into the fold. Current LIV players Bryson DeChambeau, Jon Rahm and Cam Smith were eligible, but said on Tuesday they will stick with LIV.

“At his request, Pat Perez was reinstated as a member but is not eligible to participate in PGA Tour-affiliated tournaments at this time,” the tour said in a statement. “The PGA Tour does not comment on disciplinary matters.”