Pat Perez had a remarkable return to competition last week in the Senior PGA Championship. He was at par or better all four days at Concession Golf Club, and while he finished 11 shots behind Stewart Cink, he still tied for sixth.
It was his first time playing 72 holes of competition in nearly two years. Perez tied for 18th in the International Series Morocco the first week of July 2024.
Even more impressive? Since he left LIV Golf at the end of 2024, Perez said he went nine months without so much as touching a golf club. He spent 2025 doing television for LIV and didn’t bring his clubs with him or use them when he was home in Arizona.
“I said: ‘You know what? I got nothing to play for,’” Perez said. “I have nothing to get ready for because again, I did not think that this opportunity would come. I thought, ‘I’m just going to take a knee for a minute and see what happens.’”
He is suspended by the PGA Tour until 2027, so he can play the Senior PGA, U.S. Senior Open and Senior Open, all run by other organizations.
But Perez, who turned 50 on March 1, plans to get after it next year.
“I probably won’t miss an event next year,” he said. “From what I hear, this tour you want to hit it hard from 50 to 55. Since I’m missing 50, I’ll probably hit it hard the first three years and then kind of see where we’re at.”
Perez made nearly $14 million in prize money in his three years on LIV.