LIV Golf is ditching shorts and going back to pants-only for players in 2024, marking a surprising reversal of one of its most player-friendly policies.
Former LIV player Pat Perez broke the news on the circuit’s “Fairway to Heaven” podcast. “The players are wearing pants all year,” he said, noting he’d gotten confirmation just days ago.
It’s a big change for the upstart league, which had made waves by allowing shorts since its 2022 launch. That move had set LIV apart from traditional tours and was especially welcome given many tournaments are played in brutal heat.
“The first place I thought about was Singapore,” Perez said, referring to the March event known for its sweltering conditions.
The timing seems particularly tough for players. LIV’s 2024 schedule includes several tournaments in hot-weather locations:
– Adelaide in late March
– Mexico in April
– Multiple summer events across the US and Europe
When then-CEO Greg Norman announced the shorts policy in 2022, it was seen as another way LIV was shaking up golf’s conventions. The tour had already made headlines with its pumping music during play and use of rangefinders.
The PGA Tour and DP World Tour have stuck mostly to their pants-only policies, though the DP World Tour occasionally allows shorts in extreme weather. Even then, the shorts must be knee-length and “neat in appearance.”
The Asian Tour, which works closely with LIV, followed their lead and began allowing shorts in early 2023.
Golf Monthly has independently confirmed Perez’s claim about the new pants requirement.
For players heading into hot tournaments like Singapore, they’ll have to keep their cool the old-fashioned way – one pant leg at a time.
