Ex-4Aces member Perez shifts into new role as commentator

After three seasons of swinging a club as a proud member of 4Aces GC, Pat Perez will continue walking the fairways at LIV Golf tournaments in 2025 – only this time, he’ll be handling a microphone while providing insight and commentary as part of the league’s broadcast team.

The 48-year-old Perez is shifting from player to on-course analyst for the 2025 season and will also be involved in pre- and post-round coverage as LIV Golf enters the first year of its multi-year partnership with FOX Sports. While he will miss the competition, he eagerly looks forward to this new opportunity to stay involved with the league.

“I'm full-steam on this thing,” Perez said with a laugh. “I’m really excited to do it. It’s a perfect mid-life restart for me.”

The move isn’t a complete surprise. Perez has long thought that his second act in golf would be on the broadcast side. He’s already built up a solid resume.

In 2015, he teamed with former caddie Michael Collins to co-host the Sirius XM talk show Out of Bounds, which lasted for six seasons. In the press release announcing the show, Perez was quoted as saying, “There’s no limit to the amount of fun we’ll have talking golf and life in general.”

In 2018, he was part of Turner Sports’ commentary crew working The Match: Tiger vs. Phil at Shadow Creek in Las Vegas; among his fellow broadcasters were Charles Barkley and Samuel L. Jackson. “Had a blast,” Perez recalled. “Couldn’t have had more fun.”

Since then, he’s made numerous appearances on other shows and podcasts, carving out a reputation as a guest who not only speaks his mind but also provides plenty of humor and is adept at telling stories.

“Pat is one of the great characters of the game,” said James Watson, LIV Golf Senior Vice President, Worldwide Production. “When it looked like he was going to be available, chasing him as an addition to our broadcast team was a no-brainer.”

“His experience as both a LIV player and championship-level competitor will really add to the diverse range of voices we already have in the mix.”

Indeed, his move to the LIV Golf broadcast crew seems so natural – especially considering one of his new teammates is studio analyst Jerry Foltz, who handled the winner’s interview when Perez won for the first time as a pro in 2000.

“Thought about doing TV for years now,” Perez said. “I feel like I’m at q-school again, starting a new career. It’s certainly going to be a learning process. I’m excited to bring my personality to it. We’re going to have fun.”

He’s certainly had plenty of fun on the competition side.

Perez turned pro in 1997 and has carved out a career that would be the envy of most touring pros, with four victories (three on the PGA Tour) and 27 major starts. In the summer of 2022, he joined LIV Golf as part of 4Aces Captain Dustin Johnson’s roster overhaul (that also included the additions of Patrick Reed and Talor Gooch) prior to the league’s first American-based tournament in Portland.

The Aces immediately reeled off four team wins and ultimately claimed the 2022 Team Championship in Miami. That final all-scores-count round at Doral is arguably Perez’s single-most impressive day. On a difficult course that doesn’t fit his game, Perez shot a 2-under 70 – matching the scores of Johnson and Reed, and one better than Gooch – as the Aces won the title by one shot.

Reed considers Perez’ performance that day among the best moments he’s seen in LIV Golf while epitomizing the league’s team-oriented approach.

“My boy PP, to be able to go out and play like he did and do it as a place that I know he doesn’t like, that on paper he shouldn’t like … those are the kind of things that this league brings to us that I think is very important,” Reed said.

Now Perez will bring that perspective to fans, as he becomes the first player with LIV Golf experience to have a full-time broadcast role. He’ll stay in touch with current players, getting their insights on the course and inside the team rooms, which he considers a key component of the LIV Golf story.

“I’ve always been more of a team-type person. That’s my kind of vibe,” Perez said. “My thing is to build up the players. There’s so much talent in the league, top to bottom. Basically, help our fans by giving them the player’s perspective.

“I thought I’d still be playing but now I’m focused on the TV thing. This could be the start of a whole new career, and I’m thankful it’s worked out this way.”