While it was always unlikely that Mito Pereira was going to find himself back on LIV Golf in 2026, it was still a huge shock this week when the Chilean announced his retirement from professional golf.
Mito Pereira was relegated from LIV Golf in 2025 after a nightmare season. His best result all year was tied for 13th in Chicago.
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Many would have expected him to try and earn a place back through the Promotions Event. But it had already been announced that Torque had signed Abraham Ancer as his replacement.
And the 30-year-old has now confirmed that his days as a professional golfer are done.
LIV Golf face yet another big challenge after Mito Pereira announces his retirement
Pereira revealed in his statement that he plans to return to Chile.
In fairness, those who have followed his story closely may not be entirely surprised by his decision. Pereira has previously spoken of not playing for two years as a teenager because he had grown bored of the game.
But his decision does appear to highlight another issue that LIV Golf has to contend with.
There is no question that LIV have had a poor off-season so far. It does appear that the days of making marquee signings are long gone.
There are various reasons why players may be reluctant to join LIV. It is fair to say that the PGA Tour remains the biggest stage outside of the majors. Meanwhile, there is no question that it is harder to secure a spot in the majors playing on LIV.
But Pereira’s decision brings another issue to light.
Only in 2022 has a move from the PGA Tour to LIV Golf been riskier
Pereira may say differently, but it is not difficult to imagine that he would have been more determined to continue his career if there was a pathway back to the PGA Tour in front of him.
As things stand, he would have been banned from immediately returning to the PGA Tour.
Hudson Swafford has previously spoken of being told that he cannot play on the PGA Tour again before 2027 after being on LIV up until the end of the 2024 season.
There are other options out there. Henrik Stenson looks set to play on the DP World Tour again in 2026, while the Asian Tour does offer a route back to LIV.
However, Pereira will not be taking up either of those opportunities.
Not all players will take a similar stance. Brooks Koepka’s future is up in the air. And there is a feeling that Koepka would play on the DP World Tour for a year if he ended up leaving LIV.
But any player who plies their trade on the PGA Tour right now and is considering joining LIV also has to give the exit strategy serious thought. It should not be forgotten that Pereira was good enough to put himself on the cusp of winning a major as recently as 2022.
LIV cannot afford to shut the door on their best players. However, staying out of the drop zone does not provide security. Both Ben Campbell and Matt Jones will be playing in the Promotions Event in January after being let go by their respective teams.
So you could potentially finish 25th over the season and lose your place – depending on your contract.
And if an immediate return to the PGA Tour is not on the cards, then more players are surely going to wonder why they would bother to make the jump.
Obviously, there are incredible riches on offer. Max Greyserman has reportedly been offered an eight-figure sum to leave the PGA Tour – where he has earned nearly $8.1 million across his career.
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But PGA Tour players are not exactly strapped for cash either.
So, with Pereira’s retirement, it could be argued that not since 2022 has a move to LIV been riskier than it is now.
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