Tom Pernice Jr., a longtime golfer on the PGA Tour who now plays on the Champions Tour, was accused by his girlfriend of domestic violence last year.

MaryAnn O’Neill, now the ex-girlfriend of the 62-year-old Pernice, provided disturbing text messages and a recording to Jon Wertheim and Jessica Luther of Sports Illustrated detailing a harrowing series of events in which she says she was beaten.

Pernice had finished in last place with a score of 31-over par in the Regions Tradition tournament outside of Birmingham, Ala., and the two were driving — with Pernice at the wheel and O’Neill in the passenger seat — to Atlanta for the next tournament. O’Neill said she was using the GPS on her boyfriend’s phone, noticed he had called his ex-wife earlier that day and confronted him about it.

It was after this that O’Neill accused Pernice of punching her in the leg with a closed fist.

On an iPad, she texted her friend, Christy, whose last name was not given, ” ‘I’m going to have massive bruises tomorrow. I’m so sick of this a–hole!’ ”

Asked what happened, O’Neill responded, quoting Pernice as saying, “I’m going to keep hitting you every time you open your f—ing mouth.”

Christy instructed O’Neill to record the conversation, and she did.

In a recording that was published by SI, O’Neill asked Pernice, “How do you just, like, beat your girlfriend? And then stop and go through a drive-through and eat and then listen to Christian music for two-and-a-half hours?”

“Because you won’t keep your mouth shut,” Pernice responded. “I kept warning you to keep your mouth shut and quit doing it. You have no consequences. You think you can say and do whatever the f–k, what you think you can do. I’m tired of it. Not gonna happen.”

Asked if he was just going to beat her, Pernice answered, “What else am I gonna do? I hit your f—ing in the leg. I’m not beating you.”

O’Neill had previously filed a police report but not pressed charges against Pernice stemming from an incident in 2018, also around the Regions Tradition, when she accused him of striking her with a cell phone at a FedEx store and bruising her arm.

Pernice’s attorney told SI, in an email response to inquiries for the story, “Tom Pernice vehemently denies ever being abusive in any way, either physically, verbally or financially to Ms. O’Neill. Since their breakup [in the summer of 2021] Ms. O’Neill has proven herself to be a liar and a thief hell-bent on destroying Mr. Pernice. … She uses a distorted version of the facts to only ruin Mr. Pernice and financially benefit herself all for breaking up with her. She will stop at nothing to extort Mr. Pernice and unjustly enrich herself. It comes as no surprise Mrs. O’Neill would resort to a disinformation campaign.”

Pernice and O’Neill dated on and off between 2015 and 2021. They had several disputes that she said turned violent after she confronted him about communication with his ex-wife.

O’Neill also contacted the PGA Tour, with whom she had business relationships over the years, and did not feel like they properly addressed her concerns, as they asked her to provide a copy of a police report to them, and encouraged her to “pursue it via the legal system.” 

In response to those claims, a PGA Tour spokesperson told SI, “While we do not disclose specific disciplinary action and will not comment on this instance in detail, it is important to note that the PGA Tour takes allegations of domestic violence very seriously. In matters involving potential criminal activity, we immediately offer assistance in bringing forward the complaint to the appropriate authorities for further investigation and action.

“We also take appropriate action based upon our own investigation, including — but not limited to — suspension from tournament play as well as resources and treatment, such as mandatory counseling. Furthermore, we may take further action based upon any findings by law enforcement and/or the outcome of any criminal proceedings.”