Pat Perez has endured a tough year on the LIV Golf scene, with the American star just about managing to avoid relegation out of the league ahead of the 2025 campaign
Pat Perez and Tiger Woods have clashed in the past (Image: Getty Images)
One star of LIV Golf, whose spouse publicly criticized Tiger Woods after his high-speed car crash in 2021, is now battling to avoid being demoted from the tour next year.
Pat Perez has had a tough year on the LIV circuit, with the Arizona-𝐛𝐨𝐫𝐧 player narrowly escaping relegation from the league by the slimmest of margins. He ended the 2024 LIV season in 48th place – just one spot and 1.56 points above the automatic relegation zone.
If Kalle Samooja hadn’t scored a final-round 71 in the last LIV event of the year, things could have been very different for the American golfer. However, assuming a team signs him during the free agency period, Perez will still have his LIV contract going into 2025.
But defending that could be even more challenging next year if Perez’s performance continues on its current path. Perez is no stranger to controversy, especially considering he’s previously engaged in a verbal spat with none other than Woods.
Woods, who was a vocal critic of the LIV project when it launched in 2021, has said before that players who left the PGA Tour for the Saudi-backed wealth are only interested in the money. Perez responded to the legendary golfer’s comments, saying “that’s the stupidest — I have ever heard of in my life” during an episode of the “Son of a Butch” podcast.
He remarked: “Now, next year you might; they finally got the perks. But last time I checked, he signed a $40 million deal right out of college, was flying on the Nike jet. He found incentive. He could have shut it down right then.”
Perez has struggled for form in 2024 ( Image: Getty Images)
Yet, Pat’s not the only one from the Perez family to take shots at Woods. The LIV star’s spouse Ashley also joined in. She chimed in after Tiger Woods’ harrowing car crash back in 2021, which had many thinking it was the twilight of his career. Ashley posted on Instagram: “Literally why driving under the influence is ILLEGAL. I don’t feel bad for him. Thank god he didn’t 𝓀𝒾𝓁𝓁 anyone. See ya.”
Despite the allegations, it was confirmed that Woods was not under the influence during the incident, leading to Mrs. Perez swiftly removing her post.
Perez turned professional in 1997 and won three times on the PGA Tour – the 2009 Bob Hope Classic, the 2016 OHL Classic at Mayakoba, and the 2017 CIMB Classic – before joining LIV two years ago. He’s yet to win an individual title on the LIV circuit but did help Dustin Johnson’s 4Aces GC win the Team Championship in 2023.
