[Image: LIV Golf]
Former LIV Golf player-turned on-course commentator, Pat Perez, joined Australian Golf Digest’s Brad Clifton to chat about his new role on the LIV broadcast.
AGD: Great to have you back in Australia, Pat. How did this opportunity come about?
Pat Perez: Well, kind of became involved with it. I didn’t really have a place to play, so my time I guess run out playing and I’ve been talking to LIV about doing TV in the future and it just kind of all happened at the same time. I didn’t have a team to play on and then they came and said, you want to do TV? I said, yeah. I said it’ll be, I planned on doing it later in life, but I said, might as well start now and I’m excited about it.
AGD: Do you still have playing ambitions, or is commentary your full focus now?
Pat Perez: For the next eight, nine months, all of the LIV [season], I’m going to put all of it into it to see how I do it. Can I do it? All these kind of things. And then next year, depending, obviously with all this merger talk and all this, if I can play the Champions Tour next year, I might play a few events, but I think I’m going to stick with the TV for a while. I think I want to do it and kind of focus on that. I’ve spent basically my whole life on the road, so not that this is any different, but I’m not playing so I don’t know. I dunno, I’m going to do this year and see what it looks like in the end.
AGD: You’ve never been shy about sharing your thoughts on golf. What do you think is missing in commentary, and what will you bring?
Pat Perez: Dunno what I don’t like about it, I think a player perspective, what I can bring is I know these players so well, I’ve played with them forever. I’ve been here since the start of LIV. I can give insights to the players, how a player feels, how a player is thinking, how they’re doing. Are they thinking on the course? What are they thinking coming down the stretch, being with all these guys and playing with them all. I think I have that more than really anybody because I’ve been around them the longest and I’ve been at LIV from the start. I don’t really dislike any commentary. I love Johnny Miller and Lanny Wadkins and those guys.
AGD: What’s been the reaction from players since the news broke?
Pat Perez: It’s pretty cool. They’re worried I’m going to wear ’em all out, which I tell ’em if I get my chance, I’m going to believe me. But no, it’s been good. I think they’re excited to have me out here. I think they know that I have all their backs and I’m just going to bring a perspective that what they are, what’s going on in their shoes on the course, because I’ve been there my whole life and I’ve played with these guys and I know how they think and what they’re trying to accomplish and my idea is to really promote the players and LIV itself.
AGD: Adelaide has become LIV’s marquee event. You must be excited to be part of it from a new perspective.
Pat Perez: I am. This event has been my favourite, pretty much anything I played my whole life. So the fans were incredible. I had a blast with all of ’em. They bring it all. They bring it all and I think it’s amazing. I can’t wait to see it from a different point of view and calling shots, but I think have some fun with ’em. But I know they’re going to be ready to roll.
AGD: There’s still a lot of discussion about a potential merger. Any thoughts from your new role?
Pat Perez: I don’t know. I don’t know what’s going to happen. I’ve heard some rumblings, but there’s nothing really concrete. I just hope that it gets to a place where guys, where they want to play they can, I don’t know anything about investments or like that, but I hope it gets to a point next year in 2026 that everybody can kind of get to a place where they want to play.
AGD: The new exemption pathways for the US Open and Open Championship (top LIV player from the individual points standings) are a positive step, aren’t they?
Pat Perez: It’s really good. You take the tournaments, they’re starting to realise that they need these players in their field. They’re recognising how good they are and a lot of the stuff has calmed down and I think they know even though it’s one spot, at least it’s a start, at least they’re recognising that they need that player in their field. Hopefully it gets to more of that and there’s different qualifications to get in.
AGD: Greg Norman. What are your thoughts on his impact?
Pat Perez: I think the Shark’s fantastic. He turned 70, and I think he did for us [getting LIV up and running] was amazing. The best thing about Greg is that he had our back because he was a player, obviously world number 1, for 331 weeks, two-time major winner. He was a player forever and when he started this, he had the players’ best interest. That’s what he wanted, was always taking care of the players first. To see where we are now three years later, I think he did a phenomenal job.
