Frenchman is a fine fit for LIV's recruiting
Victor (not that one) Perez (not that one, either) signs with Cleeks; Stray Shots
Victor Perez possesses the mid-range potential LIV Golf can attract (Jed Jacobsohn/Getty Images)
We can learn a lot about LIV Golf’s plans with the signing of France’s Victor Perez.
Announced earlier this week, the 33-year-old Frenchman is in his relative prime and has some name recognition among those who follow professional golf.
Perez has not seen much good golf in the last three years, sprinkling a handful of high finishes with largely mediocre play on both the DP World and PGA tours.
Earning his way onto the PGA Tour in 2024 through his top-10 play on the European circuit in 2023, Perez has moved up and down the Official World Golf Ranking from his best position of No. 29 going into the 2021 Masters to his current position of No. 122 after missing the cut in Bermuda last week.
Sitting outside the top 100 needed to retain his full PGA Tour card at 109th in the FedEx Fall rankings, Perez would have needed a good week at the RSM Classic to move into the top 100 and keep his card. He’d still have been able to play in most PGA Tour events in 2026 as a top 125 player and could have supplemented his schedule with plenty of DP World Tour events.
Instead, Perez decided to withdraw from the RSM and leave the PGA Tour to and join LIV’s Cleeks team, captained by Martin Kaymer with returning players Richard Bland and Adrian Meronk.
“Joining Cleeks Golf Club for the 2026 season feels like joining golf’s next great chapter, as this club continues to push boundaries, perform at the highest level, and bring fresh energy and vision to the game,” Perez said in a press release statement delivered by LIV Golf. “The sport’s growth has been incredible, and LIV Golf’s innovation and energy are driving it forward. I’m excited to be part of that momentum and can’t wait to get started in Riyadh.”
Perez still should have plenty of gas in the tank, and a change of scenery may be just what he needs to reignite his form. The Frenchman Perez is the perfect kind of player to tab as an inclusion to the league by LIV.
Like a pitcher coming off Tommy John surgery, there are no guarantees how Perez will perform in his new home. But the presumption is that he can make a difference for the team and the league in general. The Cleeks finished 12th of the 13 LIV teams in 2025 and never finished higher than sixth in any week.
Perez’ game is not in decline, but seemingly stagnant as he’s dropped in the world rankings. A three-time winner on the DP World Tour including the 2019 Alfred Dunhill Links Championship and the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship, Perez posted six top-20 finishes in 2025 including a T19 at the U.S. Open at Oakmont.
Though he’s played in 17 majors, he is not yet eligible for any in 2026.
The investment by LIV and the Cleeks gives a player with potential a chance to make an impact on the breakaway league.
For a league looking to control costs while putting the best product it can in front of the public, Perez seems like a perfect fit. LIV hasn’t signed any superstars away from the PGA Tour since Jon Rahm in 2023, but for a player like Perez sitting just outside guaranteed status, the chance to build a full schedule and make serious money playing LIV, International Series and select DP World Tour events is enticing.
Now the question is, will it pay off for both sides?
Stray Shots: Reflecting on Seve through Rory
By Peter Kaufman
1. Seve and Rory: When Rory McIlroy recently won his seventh Race to Dubai — thereby eclipsing Seve Ballesteros’ six Order of Merit crowns to assume solo second on the list behind Colin Montgomerie’s eight — the Northern Irishman showed real class and a feel for history by going out of his way to meet with Seve’s widow (divorced as they eventually were) and pay homage to the Spaniard’s legacy.
“I had a conversation with his wife, Carmen, before I went out to play today and she told me how proud he would have been,” McIlroy said.
“I said this on this green last year, he means so much to this tour and to the European Ryder Cup team. We rally so much around his spirit and his quotes and everything he meant for European golf.
“To equal him last year was cool but to surpass him this year, yeah, I didn’t get this far in my dreams, so it’s very cool. … When I hear Seve, it just sort of brings me back through my whole journey in the game, and yeah, it’s quite emotional.”
2. Never forget: Ballesteros has been gone far too long — 14 years since he passed in May 2011 — and it’s really nice to see his name remain relevant. He oozed charisma, bursting upon the world scene when at 19 he was runner-up with Jack Nicklaus behind Johnnie Miller in the 1976 Open at Royal Birkdale.