PGA Tour’s Strict Suspension Rule Hits Pat Perez: Veteran Golfer Banned for LIV Golf Analyst Role – Is the Punishment Justified?**

The ongoing feud between the PGA Tour and the Saudi-backed LIV Golf continues to claim casualties, with veteran golfer Pat Perez now caught in the crossfire.

In a move that has sparked heated debate across the golfing world, the PGA Tour has applied its one-year suspension rule to Perez not for playing in LIV events, but for his role as an analyst on the LIV Golf broadcast during the 2025 season.

This decision, confirmed by multiple sources including Golf Channel and Today’s Golfer, prohibits non-members from participating in PGA Tour events for a full year after any involvement in “unauthorized events” – a category that now explicitly includes promotional or associational roles like broadcasting.

Perez, who turns 50 in March 2026 and has publicly expressed eagerness to compete on the PGA Tour Champions senior circuit, will now be sidelined until the end of August 2026.

This timeline stems from his last appearance as a commentator for LIV Golf, effectively delaying his senior tour debut by several months.

The PGA Tour handbook is clear on the matter: “Non-member players who participate in an unauthorized event will be subject to the Non-Member Policy which prohibits play in PGA Tour events for one year from the date of participation in an unauthorized event.

Promotion of and association with an unauthorized event is considered participation in the event for the purposes of this regulation. Should players seek to reinstate their membership in the future, they would be subject to disciplinary action for violations incurred as a member and any violations to the Non-Member Policy.”

This clause, designed to deter defections to rival leagues, has been enforced rigorously since LIV Golf’s inception in 2022. Perez’s case marks a notable escalation, as he had already severed ties with LIV Golf as a player in 2024 after an underwhelming stint.