Just hours after Brooks Koepka reapplied for PGA Tour membership, another ex-LIV golfer appears to have gone a step further. Pat Perez‘s one small update has sent shockwaves through the golf world.  He has been reinstated to the PGA Tour seemingly without paying any penalty.

“Former LIV golfer Pat Perez has updated his IG [Instagram] bio with news that he is ‘reinstated to PGA Tour.’ Reports had surfaced indicating Perez was subject to a 1-yr ban following his broadcast stint & it’s believed that he wants to compete on the Champions Tour this year,” NUCLR GOLF wrote in an X post.

There is no clear indication of how it came to be. Only recently, a PGA Tour source confirmed to Today’s Golfer that Perez would not be able to participate in the PGA Tour or the Senior Tour this year. “Promotion of and association with an unauthorized event is considered participation in the event for the purposes of this regulation,” reads the Tour policy.

Perez was supposed to be banned until August 2026, as his last broadcast role at Indianapolis took place in August 2025. Even though the soon-to-be 50-year-old golfer had not played a LIV event in 2024, his work as a broadcaster was considered to be promoting a LIV event. So the PGA Tour source confirmed that Perez would have to serve a one-year ban, similar to Brooks Koepka.

The absurdity of the situation caught everyone’s attention. Including that of Jon Rahm. “That’s a little ridiculous, I’m sorry,” the former Masters champ said in a recent interview. It appears that the Tour also felt that it was ridiculous.

In retrospect, you can argue that Perez was offering hints of a reconciliation between him and the Tour for quite some time. On January 2, 2026, the American professional golfer uploaded a story featuring an ice-filled cup with the PGA Tour logo on it. He also wrote a message that read, “Happy NEW Year…”

Later, he changed his Instagram bio to “Member of @pgatour” on January 9, 2026. And now, he has changed it to “Reinstated to PGA Tour.” If the PGA Tour has indeed reinstated Perez, there is a chance that he didn’t have to face any punishment.

The news comes amid Brooks Koepka’s reapplication for PGA Tour membership. The 9x PGA Tour winner left LIV Golf on December 23, 2025, with one year still remaining in his contract. And on January 9, 2026, he reportedly reapplied for the membership. ESPN was the first to report this, citing confirmation from their sources.

Notably, the World No. 2 Rory McIlroy said that the PGA Tour should allow Koepka to return without any punishment.

“Does it make sense if Brooks wanted to play the PGA Tour again to get him back as soon as possible? Absolutely,” the Northern Irishman said.

However, he also acknowledged that it is difficult to welcome him back without any punishment, as it would send a wrong message. Golf Channel analyst Brandel Chamblee also feels the same.

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Brandel Chamblee rejects Rory McIlroy’s view on Brooks Koepka’s return

While McIlroy was in favor of allowing the 5x major champion to return without any harsh punishment, Chamblee has a contradicting view.

“So I couldn’t disagree more with what Rory said… I couldn’t disagree more with those who think that Brooks should be able to come back without some consequence…,” Chamblee said.

He said that Koepka’s popularity was one of the most significant factors in making LIV Golf a viable league. Although the PGA Tour cannot punish the five-time major champion for his popularity, he should still face consequences. In fact, the golf analyst believes that if there are no consequences, it would send a very wrong signal.

LIV golfers may consider the PGA Tour an opportunity whenever they want to be back. On the other hand, PGA Tour professionals who stayed loyal to the tour would think that deserting the organization does not have any consequences. And if the PGA Tour does decide to punish any other LIV golfer who wants to rejoin, it would show that the rules are different for different people. Therefore, Brandel Chamblee believes that if Brooks Koepka is to return to the PGA Tour, there should be some punishment for him.

Amid all this, Pat Perez’s Instagram update adds another layer to the uncertainty surrounding how the PGA Tour is handling Brooks Koepka’s return. With  Koepka’s situation still unresolved, the tour now faces growing pressure to balance consistency, fairness, and precedent in its decisions.