Not a day goes by without a rumor (or an opinion from someone involved in the negotiation) that fuels the narrative of a very short announcement of the definitive agreement between the PGA Tour and PIF.
Yet, when it comes to the practical side, things don’t seem to have changed.
Hudson Swafford, after eight years on the PGA Tour (with 217 tournaments played and 3 victories under his belt, Editor’s note), in 2022 was one of the first players to sign with the newly formed LIV Golf.
In the first season of the Saudi League, the player originally from Tallahassee played for Bubba Watson’s Team Niblicks GC (then a non-playing Captain due to injury, Editor’s note).
The results were not exciting, neither on an individual level, nor on a team level (eliminated in the quarterfinals of the Team Championship).
In 2023, a long injury prevented Swafford from taking to the field, despite remaining under contract with LIV.
Swafford, story
In the season just ended, the LIV Golf management awarded the Floridian one of the two wild cards (the other was given to Anthony Kim) needed to “even” the number of players after the birth of the thirteenth Team, Jon Rahm’s Legion XIII.
His performance after his return was not exciting, so much so that, in addition to ending up in the relegation zone, after failing to qualify for the LIV Promotion tournament, the management also decided not to renew his contract.
During his year of forced inactivity, the former Georgia University player had also tried to negotiate a return to the PGA Tour, which came to nothing, as he himself told Golf Channel:
“I tried to return to the PGA Tour. I spoke to Jason Gore (Senior Vice President and advisor to the Commissioner) and Jay Monahan and, in a way that was considered very cordial, I explained to them how I felt, they could not give me any answer”
“Past champions are placed in some Fall Series tournaments, is it possible that my past champion status could be valid again in the month of September?”
“It was not possible to get an answer. It was extremely frustrating”.
Since then, the situation has not improved.
To date, Swafford must serve a one-year suspension from the PGA Tour due to his participation in the LIV tournaments, a fact that, combined with the failure to renew his contract, leaves him with the option of playing on the Asian Tour, hoping to be able to return to the Saudi League.
Tennis World USA