Pat Perez could not be happier that LIV Golf was founded, and not even Tiger Woods can change the way Perez feels about his new source of income.
Woods took a strong stance against LIV earlier this year. The 15-time major champion listed several reasons why he cannot understand golfers leaving the PGA Tour to sign with LIV. One gripe Tiger has with the Saudi-backed league is that golfers are given so much guaranteed money up front that they have little incentive to work hard.
Perez thinks Woods is out of his mind. He shared his thoughts on Tiger’s remarks during a recent appearance on the “Son of a Butch” podcast with Claude Harmon III. Perez called the take “the stupidest s— I’ve ever heard in my life.”
“That’s one of the stupidest things I think he has said. The incentive is the fact that last place is $120,000, first place is $4 million. You cannot win $4 million on the PGA Tour,” Perez said, as transcribed by Colin Loughran of the New York Post. “Now, next year you might; they finally got the perks. But last time I checked, (Woods) signed a $40 million deal right out of college, was flying on the Nike jet. He found incentive. He could have shut it down right then.”
Perez has a point. Tiger has always had plenty of money. His primary source of motivation is being the greatest golfer who ever lived. It is debatable whether LIV golfers will be eligible for the “GOAT” discussion in the court of public opinion, but as of now they can still play in majors. Wins in major tournaments are the biggest measure of success for a pro golfer.
Perez noted how Woods has had stretches where he skips small tournaments and plays exclusively in majors.
“He had a lot of guarantees,” Perez added. “You know what, and he was the hottest thing. He’s made so much money off the course, he found incentive to go.”
The 46-year-old Perez won more than $8 million in prize money during the inaugural LIV season. That is double what he made in any single season during his 20 years on the PGA Tour, and he only played in eight events. Anyone who saw the way he was partying on that private jet over the summer knows how much he is enjoying LIV Golf.
