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LIV Golf Team Signs Former PGA Tour, DP World Tour Player
French golfer Victor Perez, who has played on both the PGA Tour and the DP World Tour in recent years, is joining the LIV Golf League in time for the 2026 season.
The league announced the move Tuesday after media reports that Perez would be joining the Cleeks team, replacing Frederik Kjettrup, who was relegated out of the league because he did not finish among the top 48 players in 2025.
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Perez, who is ranked 122nd in the Official World Golf Ranking, was 108th in the PGA Tour’s FedEx Cup standings, meaning he was in danger of losing his fully exempt status. He was in the field for this week’s season-ending RSM Classic before withdrawing Tuesday.
Perez, 33, has three career victories on the DP World Tour, the last coming at the 2023 Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship. He played for France at the 2024 Olympics in Paris.
The Cleeks team has struggled in LIV’s short existence. Martin Kaymer, the two-time major winner, is the team’s captain. The other members of the team are Richard Bland and Adrian Meronk, who won LIV’s season-opening event in 2025.
“There’s been tremendous interest in joining Cleeks Golf Club, and we’re thrilled to welcome Victor as the final piece of our roster,” Kaymer said in a statement. “With LIV Golf driving innovation in the game, we’re focused on building not just a stronger team but also contributing to building the next generation of global golf stars. Victor embodies the precision and passion that will help us forge that path.”
The season-ending PIF Saudi International on the International Series this week will determine two players who join LIV Golf next season. The league also has a Promotions event in January for two more players. Other signings are expected to fill various openings on the teams.
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Bob Harig is a senior writer covering golf for Sports Illustrated. He has more than 25 years experience on the beat, including 15 at ESPN. Harig is a regular guest on Sirius XM PGA Tour Radio and has written two books, "DRIVE: The Lasting Legacy of Tiger Woods" and "Tiger and Phil: Golf's Most Fascinating Rivalry." He graduated from Indiana University where he earned an Evans Scholarship, named in honor of the great amateur golfer Charles (Chick) Evans Jr. Harig, a former president of the Golf Writers Association of America, lives in Clearwater, Fla.