LIV Golf team champion Pat Perez receives congratulations from PGA Tour stars

Pat Perez revealed a number of players from the PGA Tour congratulated him on his joint success with 4 Aces on the LIV Golf Tour.

Matt Chivers's picture
Thu, 10 Nov 2022
LIV Golf team champion Pat Perez receives congratulations from PGA Tour stars

Pat Perez certainly had a lot to say this week. You can't fault the American for his honesty and his willingness to tell us the full story.

However, when he described the "different hate" he has for Phil Mickelson and the "unforgivable" line that he crossed in their friendship, Perez refrained from more detail.

Nonetheless, we know why Perez moved to the LIV Golf Tour because he told us all. He won the lottery and he received a big enough offer from commissioner Greg Norman to keep him off the road and playing less golf for more money.

Related: How much every player won during LIV's inaugural season

The 46-year-old, who won three times on the PGA Tour, has been under the microscope as his individual performances over the six regular events he played on the breakaway series didn't match up with his $8m plus earnings.

But his 2-under-par 70 was crucial in the Team Championship in Miami. In a format in which every shot counted, 4 Aces GC beat Punch by a solitary shot to bank $16m.

These riches are what Perez came for and after one season with LIV Golf, he earned more than a quarter of his career earnings on the PGA Tour since his rookie season in 2002.

Perez said he received messages from Jon Rahm, Webb Simpson and Aaron Baddeley. And one prominent anti-LIV voice. 

"I got a text from Justin Thomas. Monday morning. He said, 'Hey man, I’m so happy for you, congrats.' That's pretty cool.
"I think people have realized here's a guy who's kinda been an average player his whole career, and grinded it out, kept his card forever, and he got a break and he had to show up on Sunday to help his team, and he did.

Related: Has Xander Schauffele made up his mind about LIV yet?

He continued: 

"I think those guys realize I'm not a threat to Justin Thomas or any of those top players. They know I'm not a threat, and they can't really be mad that I left... I think they were genuinely happy for me. They don't see me as a threat, they were genuinely happy for me.
"Justin Thomas is a phenomenal player, phenomenal, and he's obviously anti-LIV for whatever reasons he is. And that's fine. But the fact that he reached out and congratulated me, I thought that was pretty awesome."

The world of social media can stoke up hostility between the LIV Golf Series and the PGA Tour, but it seems there is very little genuine animosity between those who have left and those who have stayed.

Next page: LIV Golf is great, says PGA Tour prospect