Former PGA Tour Pro Hudson Swafford to join LIV Golf 2024 season as a wild card, competing without a team: Report
Hudson Swafford is back in LIV Golf, earning one of two wild cards handed out by the circuit for the 2024 season. Swaford played the inaugural season, but was unable to perform in the 2023 season due to injury.
LIV Golf expanded its membership to 13 teams to host Jon Rahm's Legion XIII. With that expansion, the field reached 52 players, which prompted the awarding of two wild cards to guarantee the shotgun method used by the circuit (groups of three players starting at the same time from each hole).
This opened the door for the return of Hudson Swafford, who played all seven events of the inaugural season but failed to finish in the Top 25 in any of them. A back injury prevented him from rejoining in 2023 and his place was taken by Thomas Pieters.
The second wild card was received by Laurie Canter, who has been associated with LIV Golf since the beginning, although he has never received a permanent contract. During the 2023 season, Canter acted as a reserve and participated in 11 of the season's 13 individual tournaments. His best finish was 15th at LIV Golf Orlando.
LIV Golf also informed that Hudson Swafford's wild card would be for the entire 2024 season, while Laurie Canter's wild card is only for the first two events (Mayakoba and Las Vegas). Future wild cards would be announced in due course.
In addition to the wild cards for Hudson Swafford and Laurie Canter, it was also announced on Wednesday (January 31), that the LIV Golf field was completed with Adrian Meronk and Lucas Herbert. The rumors linking these players to the circuit were thus confirmed.
Meronk completes the roster of the Cleeks GC team, while Herbert joins Ripper GC.
Who is Hudson Swafford?
Hudson Swafford, 36, has a 13-season career in professional golf. He previously played collegiate golf for the University of Georgia.
His professional career began on the eGolf Professional Tour, a third-tier circuit that operated in North Carolina which saw the emergence of, among others, Jason Kokrak, Peter Malnati and Seamus Power.
Swaford quickly reached the next level and the 2012 season was played on the Korn Ferry Tour. There he played for two seasons, with one win (2012 Stadion Classic at UGA) and six Top 10s as his best results.
By the 2014-2015 season, Swaford had already achieved his PGA Tour card. He played uninterruptedly at this level until the 2021-2022 season, when he decided to leave for LIV Golf.
Swaford won three PGA Tour tournaments -- the 2017 CareerBuilder Challenge, the 2020 Corales Puntacana Resort & Club Championship, and the 2022 American Express. His performance at this level includes 217 tournaments played with 123 cuts and 13 Top 10s, including his three victories.