20 Things You Didn't Know About Pat Perez

(Image credit: Getty Images)

By Michael Weston

published 22 January 2024

Pat Perez made over 500 appearances on the PGA Tour before moving to LIV Golf in 2022.

How well do you know the American? Get to know him better with these 20 facts...

PAT PEREZ FACTS:

1. Perez was born in Phoenix, Arizona on March 1, 1976.

2. He attended Torrey Pines High School.

3. His father, Tony, likes to tell the story of how a young Pat beat Tiger Woods at Torrey Pines in the 1993 Junior World Championship.

4. He turned pro in 1997.

5. He married Ashley Pendley on New Year’s Eve 2015.

6. He has two children – Piper and Paxton.

7. His three PGA Tour victories prior to joining LIV were as follows: Bob Hope Classic (2009), OHL Classic at Mayakoba (2016), CIMB Classic (2017).

8. Perez also won on the Korn Ferry Tour, the BUY.COM Ozarks Open in 2000, and he won the Champions Challenge with John Daly in 2002.

9. He reached 16th in the world rankings in January 2018.

10. Perez made his LIV debut in 2022 for the 4 Aces GC.

11. His brother, Mike, played on the Korn Ferry Tour in 2002 and 2006.

12. Mike, the younger of the two, passed away in 2023, Pat sharing the news on Instagram and describing it as “the saddest day of my life”.

13. His father used to be a first tee announcer at the Farmers Insurance Open at Torrey Pines, a course Perez grew up playing.

14. Perez says he was lucky not to have been killed in a car accident in 1994, when a vehicle he was travelling in tumbled down a 25-foot cliff. He cracked his pelvis in three places.

15. A family friend helped his golf career to get off the ground when he sponsored him to play in some events.

Pat Perez during the Team Championship at Trump National Doral

16. He won the first event he entered on the Golden State Tour, a one-day tournament that earned him $500.

17. In 1998, he went to learn his trade on the Canadian tour.

18. In 2001, he finished first at Q School to guarantee his place on the PGA Tour in 2002.

19. Perez plays a lot of practice rounds away from LIV Golf with Jon Rahm.

20. He won over $8m in his debut LIV Golf season.

HOW FAR DOES PAT PEREZ DRIVE THE BALL?

According to LIV Golf’s statistics, Pat Perez averaged 292.1 yards off the tee in the 2023 season, which ranked 45 out of 48 players.

The stats provided by the PGA Tour for the 2021/22 season show that Perez averaged 287.2 yards off the tee, the average being 299.8 yards.

PAT PEREZ LIV GOLF FEE

Although there is no official figure for his signing on fee, reports suggest that he accepted a $10m bonus to join LIV.

PAT PEREZ CAREER EARNINGS

Prior to joining LIV Golf, Perez made $28.8m on the PGA Tour.

After two editions of LIV (2022 and 2023), he made approximately $15m in prize money (individual and team combined).

So, together with his $10m sign on fee and PGA Tour winnings, we put his career earnings (not taking into account sponsorship money) to be somewhere in the region of $54m.

Michael has been with Golf Monthly since 2008. As a multimedia journalist, he has also worked for The Football Association, where he created content to support the men's European Championships, The FA Cup, London 2012, and FA Women's Super League. As content editor at Foremost Golf, Michael worked closely with golf's biggest equipment manufacturers, and has developed an in-depth knowledge of this side of the industry. He's now a regular contributor, covering instruction, equipment and feature content. Michael has interviewed many of the game's biggest stars, including six world number ones, and has attended and reported on many Major Championships and Ryder Cups. He's a member of Formby Golf Club.