Perez currently is not not qualified for any of the majors.
Perez opened last season with back-to-back top-25 finishes but had a mostly uneventful season thereafter until summer. His four other top-25 finishes came in his last seven events, showing that he's rounding into his old form and has promise heading into this season. The 45-year-old is best suited for shorter tracks, where he can use his approach play and strong short-game to his advantage.
Perez withdrew from his last two events to close the season with foot and ankle injuries, but it's unknown if those are anything serious. Both of his top-10s last season came in the fall portion of the schedule and Perez is in the latter stages of his career. It's hard to expect him to win again but expect a handful of top-10s, leading to a respectable season.
It was only a couple seasons ago that Pat Perez found the Fountain of Youth and posted career-best numbers, including over $4 million in earnings and three top-3s. The following season, Perez posted strong number once again, just missing the $3 million mark in earnings, but his production began to fall-off last season. Perez barely made the top-125, which means he has his card for this upcoming season, but his prospects aren't getting any better. At 43, Perez's better days are behind him. As such, he's not a strong option in salary cap leagues this season.
Perez played out of his mind during the 2016-2017 season. It was so out of character that in other sports, the only explanation would be HGH. It was entirely predictable that Perez would come back to Earth a bit last season after posting such insane numbers the year prior. The thing is, he didn't come back that far, he still had a really good season. In fact, it was his second best season on the PGA Tour. The problem again this season is, the bar is still too high entering this season. Perez has found something, something that he couldn't find for most of his first 15 years on the PGA Tour, but he missed his peak physical years and it's going to be difficult to keep up this pace. He'll likely have another solid season this year, but it would be a surprise to see him top his numbers from last season.
Perez entered the 2016-17 on a medical extension with a lot of work to do and he left it having played the best golf of his life – by a wide margin. Prior to last season, Perez had never cracked the $2 million barrier and he had never posted more than two top-3s in one season. Last season however, he carded three top-3s, he matched his previous high of six top-10s and he posted a new high of 14 top-25s. There's simply no way to explain how this happened as Perez had been playing at the same level for almost 15 years. With that in mind, a repeat of his performance from last season is highly unlikely. In fact, anything less than a rather large regression would be a surprise.
Perez underwent left shoulder surgery and the spring and tweeted in late September that it's "almost showtime." When he returns, he'll have 15 events under a major medical extension to earn 420.160 points or $670,050. We'd like to take a wait-and-see approach after such a serious injury, but chances are that Perez will be able to meet those conditions.
13 years on the PGA Tour and one win. Expectations were higher for Perez when he first started on the PGA Tour, and even though he's had plenty of success and made a ton of money, he never quite reached the heights that many thought he would. He peaked about six years ago when he had a stretch of three seasons over $1.5 million in earnings. Since then he's been over and under the $1 million mark, but no closer to $2 million. It appears he's maxed out in the high-$1 million range and as such he's not a good option in salary cap leagues this year. In draft leagues he should go in the 9th or 10th round.
Look at the money lists of years past and you are almost always going to find Perez in the 75-125 range. He's had a nice career, but his ceiling was seemingly hit years ago. He won't let you down if you grab him late in your draft, but don't expect too much of an upside either. He's not worth the price in a salary cap format.
Perez had a nice run a few years back that included a win, some runner-up finishes and annual earnings nearing $2 million. But the last few years his production has tailed off, and now the $1 million mark is more the norm. While the upside is still there, the farther he gets away from his best years, the less likely it is that he'll reach those heights again. Perez is not a good option in salary cap leagues this year, and should be taken in the ninth round in draft leagues.
Perez has the talent to compete at a high level, but the high-level consistency just isn't there. In years when he wins, he doesn't do much else. In years when he doesn't win, he can collects a handful of Top-10s, which is what he did last year. He also managed a runner-up finish last year, so you'd have thought his earnings number would have been higher, but nine missed cuts in 24 events are a hit to the pocket book. Perez has shown the ability to get near the $2-million mark, but he's never crashed through it. The chances that he'll accomplish that feat this year are not good, which means you should pass.
After a nice three-year run averaging more than $1.7 million, Perez stumbled a little in 2010. Perez has dealt with assorted injuries since he joined the PGA TOUR, and that's always a concern when looking at his prospects for this season. Health, however, wasn't a factor last season as he played 27 events. He finished in the top 25 a respectable seven times but lacked the top-end performances that he had in the previous three seasons. Expect a slight bounce-back in 2011, but not quite up to his numbers from 2007-2009. Perez is a solid putter and is normally long off the tee, but in a strange twist, he traded distance for accuracy last season. Perhaps he should switch back this season.
After going through a rough season in 2006, Perez has made slow but steady progress the last three years. Perez has loads of potential, but injuries in the past often halted any momentum he had built up. Perez has managed to stay healthy the past three years, so hopefully he's able to make it four years straight in 2010 and make a big move up the rankings.
Perez isn't there yet as he's dealt with various injuries over the years, but there is the possibility that we have seen the best of Perez, which if the case, makes him a questionable selection this year.In mid-May, Perez damaged his ankle to an unknown extent while running with his dog.
Perez finally got through a season relatively injury free in 2007. He's dealt with many injuries over his career, but he managed to do well in that department last year. Hopefully that is a sign of things to come. His game is coming along and he should progress well in 2008 if he can stay healthy. Perez had 11 top-25s in 27 events, that's a pretty good ratio for someone who's had consistency problems in the past. Health is the main issue with Perez, as long as he comes into the 2008 season healthy, he's a good pick.
Perez was on his way to a great season in 2006 when elbow tendonitis stopped him in his tracks. Almost all of his earnings came in the year's first three months when he was healthy. Perez looks like a solid pick for 2007, if he's healthy. There's no way to know if he can stay healthy, but the lightened load from last year should help.
After two disappointing season Pat Perez showed some signs of life in 2005. Consistency has never been a strong area for Perez. He has almost missed more cuts than he's made over his career. From 2001-2004 he missed nearly 50 percent of his cuts each season. Last year, he only missed eight cuts in 28 events. That's actually pretty decent for a consistent player. Although there are signs of improvement, there's still work to be done. He posted a lot of finishes in the 60s and 70s, which means he was just barely making the cut. Wait for more consistency before selecting him.
Perez, known as the Volcano in some circles, was certainly dormant in 2003, falling to 117th on the Money List after a very solid 2002, when he was 40th. He's got too much talent to barely be on the Exemption Line, so if he can keep his emotions and mental game in check (a good possibility as he gains more experience), you should expect some sort of bounceback in 2004.
