Raymond Carlin III-Imagn Images
LIV Golf harnessed a number of strategies in an attempt to set itself apart from the PGA Tour when it first got off the ground. However, Pat Perez claims it’s decided to walk back the policy that gave players the green light to show off their calves on the course.
Plenty of people would tell you LIV Golf has still largely failed to justify its existence since setting out to take on the PGA Tour, but there was no real reason for the league to come into being in the first place without features that clearly separated it from the competitor it started poaching golfers from in 2022.
The team-based approach and the 54-hole format at tournaments are two of the most notable differentiators, but LIV Golf has also attempted to combat the sport’s historically stuffy reputation with the “party atmosphere” that largely revolves around playing music on the course during tournaments.
There are still plenty of golf courses that won’t let you tee off unless you’re rocking pants and a collared shirt, but LIV Golf also broke with tradition (and the PGA Tour’s wardrobe policy) by allowing players to wear shorts during tournaments—a largely meaningless but nonetheless welcome change based on the number of golfers who’ve taken advantage.
However, that may not be the case for much longer based on what Pat Perez had to say about a change that will seemingly go into effect this season.
Perez joined LIV Golf in 2022 and played alongside Dustin Johnson as a member of the 4Aces, but the 48-year-old somewhat unexpectedly pivoted to a broadcasting role ahead of the start of the 2025 season.
During a recent appearance on the Fairway to Heaven podcast, Perez heavily implied he was forced off of Johnson’s team before begrudgingly accepting his new gig.
He also shed some light on some changes coming to LIV Golf this year, which seemingly includes a new ban on shorts, as he said:
“The players are wearing pants all year. I got it confirmed the other day that the players are wearing pants.”
It does not appear the ban has gone into effect when you consider Frederik Kjettrup, Peter Uihlein, and Anthony Kim were among the players who were rocking shorts when the first LIV Golf tournament of 2025 kicked off in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia on Thursday.
However, it may only be a matter of time.