The golf world was still reacting to Brooks Koepka’s LIV exit when Pat Perez offered another signal of his own. He has already made it clear he’s ready to return to competitive golf within the PGA Tour ecosystem. Now, with Champions Tour eligibility nearing, his special souvenir photograph adds to that message further. 

Perez posted a photo on his Instagram earlier, featuring a PGA Tour cup. He also reinforced that position by captioning the photo “Happy NEW year.”Naturally, the post has caught immediate attention, given Perez’s long-standing association with LIV. 

After he stopped playing for the league as a proud member of 4Aces GC for three seasons, Perez continued walking the fairways at LIV Golf tournaments in 2025 but with a microphone, providing insight and commentary as part of the broadcast team. Adding fuel to the fire, this post comes right before Perez’s 50th birthday in March, the day he becomes eligible to compete in the Champions Tour.

Perez’s move to broadcast came after a disappointing 2024 season, finishing 48th on the LIV standings. Falling outside the “lock zone,” he wasn’t retained by any team. For him, the move was a “mid-life restart.” Yet, he remained hopeful for a chance at the Champions Tour. In February 2025, Sports Illustrated reported how Perez has spoken to someone at the PGA Tour to see how things play out.

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As he feared, the merger did not take place, and there are still no updates on it. And then in December, journalist Josh Carpenter confirmed that Perez wouldn’t be returning as a broadcaster in 2026. Adding to this, Perez’s story on Instagram proves that he might be reconsidering his options. For now, whether the former LIV golfer can play on the Senior Tour isn’t clear, but if he does go to the PGA Tour Champions and replicate the success Richard Bland had there in 2024 (he won 2 majors), it indeed would be a remarkable story.

Koepka’s departure, by contrast, strikes at LIV’s credibility. When he signed with the league in 2022, he was a young player, decorated enough to bring legitimacy to this new format, which was something Brandel Chamblee also argued. Moreover, he had four major championships under his name at the time, and his further win at the 2023 PGA Championship only solidified his stance on LIV.

But now his early exit, which reportedly has cost tens of millions in guaranteed money, shows cracks in the entire LIV system. If the league’s most bankable assets are willing to take financial losses just to escape the model, then there are some fundamental issues.

Brooks Koepka’s and Pat Perez’s exits expose LIV’s structural fault lines

Several lapses within LIV Golf show vulnerabilities that extend beyond individual contracts. For instance, points.

Despite continuous backing from PIF, LIV has been unable to place itself in the OWGR ecosystem. Players, due to this, might feel demotivated to compete. Losing significant rankings doesn’t make them eligible to compete in other tournaments like the majors. Although LIV is not a 72-hole league, there is still no clarity on ranking points.

Another fault line is family.

Koepka’s reason to prioritize family tells us that just like the PGA Tour, LIV Golf also suffers from its globally dispersed schedule. Long travel across continents is bound to affect players’ performance, with not much time available to the players for their families.

Right now, the two golfers are dependent on the PGA Tour. We have to see how the rules will unfold for them. For Pat Perez, there is uncertainty around his reinstatement and where former LIV players can access the Senior Tour without barriers. Bland played in the Senior PGA Championship as a past winner on the DP World Tour, but had to contact the PGA directly and get approved. For Koepka, he might have to face a penalty or a one-suspension, something that Billy Horschel also affirms. But it remains to be seen if the PGA Tour will mold itself to accommodate him.