LIV Golf To Reverse Shorts Rule

Ever since LIV Golf came on the scene in 2022, it has not been afraid to try new things, with ideas including music regularly booming out during play, its unique team format and the allowance of rangefinders all helping to shake up the men's game.

Another break with convention came months after its launch, when then-CEO Greg Norman confirmed that LIV golfers would be allowed to wear shorts during tournaments.

That move most likely came as a big relief to many players, particularly given the league’s global nature, with several of its tournaments typically taking place in hot and humid conditions.

However, according to ex 4 Aces GC player Pat Perez, that decision has been reversed for the new season, which begins under the lights in Saudi Arabia.

Perez, who has joined LIV Golf’s broadcast team after being dropped from the league as a player, appeared to confirm the news on the circuit’s Fairway to Heaven podcast, saying: “The players are wearing pants all year.”

Co-host Jerry Foltz then interjected, saying: “I’ve heard that rumor too,” before Perez continued: “I got it confirmed the other day that the players are wearing pants and the first place I thought about was Singapore.”

At the time Norman announced players could wear shorts in LIV Golf tournaments, it marked a significant departure for men’s elite golf, as PGA Tour and DP World Tour's policies stated players must wear pants in competitive rounds.

That has been relaxed at times on the DP World Tour, beginning in the 2019 Alfred Dunhill Championship in South Africa, but generally it has only been permitted when conditions have dictated it. Even on those rare occasions, shorts have needed to be knee-length, tailored and neat in appearance.

One circuit that followed LIV Golf’s move was the closely affiliated Asian Tour, which began allowing players to wear shorts in its tournaments in February 2023.

The new LIV Golf season is almost certain to feature several tournaments played in sweltering conditions. As well as the event Perez referred to, which takes place in mid-March, others that could prove more uncomfortable for players than usual include LIV Golf Adelaide later in the month, the visit to Mexico in late April, and several US and Europe events during the summer.

Golf Monthly understands Perez’s claim is true.