Golf's January transfer window is causing utter confusion

I have always associated the January transfer window with the world of football. 

In my many years as a national sports journalist I struggled to keep up with it all. There are panic buys to cover long-term-injuries, there are players nearing the end of their contracts who are snapped up for bargain prices and there is the odd sensational big-name transfer.

But it now seems that professional golf has its own January transfer window - and it is just as difficult to keep track of it all. And even more confusing.

You will all know about Brooks Koepka’s reinstatement to the PGA Tour, a move that has raised more than a few eyebrows.

But there is more. 

Kevin Na has been released by LIV Golf. Unlike Koepka, Na is not a former major winner. However, he has won five times on the PGA Tour. 

You may recall that Na went through a spell where he froze over the ball, his head filled with a thousand swing thoughts that prevented him from hitting the ball. He received more than his fair share of stick from golf fans. But to his eternal credit, Na worked through his issues and actually became one of the quicker players on tour, famous for "walking in" putts in the manner of Tiger Woods.

As things stand, it seems that Na has nowhere to play. And that surely cannot be right. 

He is a professional golfer of some note. If he wants to return to the PGA Tour he will not be offered the same route back as Koepka. It seems inevitable that he would have to serve a punitive suspension and possibly have to pay a massive fine. It is also probable that he would be pointed in the direction of the Korn Ferry Tour. Or he could apply for membership of the DP World Tour.

Na has been replaced at LIV by South Korea’s Ben An, a golfer who won the BMW PGA Championship way back in 2015 and followed it with a victory at the Genesis Championship in 2024. At one point, An appeared to have the world at his feet but, like so many others, he lost his game and went through dark times, none more so than in 2023 when he was suspended by the PGA Tour for violating its doping rules. 

But his form over the past couple of seasons has been far more encouraging. With LIV trying to gain a proper foothold in Asia, An looks like a natural fit.

And then there is the case of Pat Perez. He never achieved dizzy heights on the PGA Tour and was better known for his temper and his sense of humour than for anything he ever achieved on the course. But he was always good value for money and it was no surprise when he joined LIV Golf in 2022. 

He never looked like winning an individual title but did share a $16m prize when his Dustin Johnson-led 4Aces outfit won the team prize in the inaugural season.

He finished 48th in the individual standings in 2024 and lost his spot but remained under contract to LIV as an on-course commentator. By all accounts, it was a task he performed with aplomb.

But with his 50th birthday in March, Perez has now left LIV and wants to rejoin the PGA Tour, quite clearly with an eye on the lucrative Champions Tour. It has yet to be confirmed but it appears that Perez is facing an uphill task. Let’s be clear about this - he worked as a commentator in 2025. He did not compete on the course. 

Most bizarrely of all, he is actually already eligible to compete in the U.S. Senior Open, Senior PGA Championship and Senior Open.

The PGA Tour has confirmed that Perez has been reinstated but has yet to say when he will be allowed to compete again and to clarify what penalties will be imposed upon him.

Because he didn’t win a major or Players Championship from 2022-25 - he had one top-10 all-time in 27 majors - Perez doesn’t qualify for the recently announced Returning Member Program that brought Koepka back into the fold. 

"At his request, Pat Perez was reinstated as a member but is not eligible to participate in PGA Tour-affiliated tournaments at this time," the tour said in a statement. "The PGA Tour does not comment on disciplinary matters."

In other words, like Na, Perez remains in a state of limbo. 

Thomas Detry, who won the Phoenix Open on the PGA Tour in 2025 for his first professional win, and Elvis Smylie, a DP World Tour winner, are the latest to make the journey the other way, having signed for LIV.

With the start of the new LIV Golf season fast approaching it seems certain that there will be further activity in the January transfer window. We will try to keep up with it all and when we know more so will you.