The return of Hudson Swafford to the PGA Tour will have to wait. The American golfer, winner of three titles on the North American circuit, has revealed that following his stint with LIV Golf, he faces a five-year ban preventing him from rejoining the Tour until 2027.
Swafford, aged 37, was one of the first players to join the Saudi circuit in 2022 and, after three seasons, was left out of LIV at the end of 2024 after being relegated. In statements to the podcast Subpar, presented by Colt Knost, Swafford explained that, although he has held discussions with the PGA Tour, he has not received clear answers or a definitive resolution regarding his situation. However, he asserts that the current stance of the Tour prevents him from returning before 2027.
According to the player, the ban is based on his participation in five LIV Golf tournaments in 2022 without having requested a release for “conflicting events,” as required by PGA Tour rules. “Basically, they are penalising me one year for each tournament,” he explained. “I don’t understand how they can justify a five-year ban for five events.”
However, Swafford highlights that not all cases are being treated the same. While other players like James Piot or Laurie Canter have been able to serve a one-year suspension since their last appearance in LIV and return to compete on the PGA Tour, he claims his situation is different. “I don’t understand why they are allowed to return after a year and I’m not. I suppose there are other factors behind it,” added the University of Georgia alumnus.
Swafford also suggests that the 2027 date might be aligned with the expiration of certain LIV players’ contracts, which would open the door to a relaxation of the rules to allow a possible collective return. “I know some LIV contracts end after the 2026 season. It seems they are waiting until then to change the rules and facilitate the return of several players,” he commented.
Despite being able to rely on the past champions category to try and play some tournaments, Swafford himself considers that this route is disappearing. “It seems that category will no longer count from next year. They are already reducing the fields. I’ve been more or less told that it’s over.”
After suffering a hip injury that kept him out of competition for much of 2023, Swafford hoped to rebuild his career. He acknowledges that the decision to join LIV was difficult, but he believed a disruption in professional golf was necessary. “We knew there would be repercussions, but no one imagined this division would last so long. As a golf fan, you want to see the best compete together.”
Swafford also lamented the lack of World Ranking points in LIV Golf: “It was frustrating. In a players’ meeting, many of us said: ‘Do we give up?’”
