'I played LIV Golf and won PGA Tours before being banned - now I work in real estate'

Hudson Swafford has undergone a major career change since LIV Golf decided not to renew his contract last year. The 38-year-old, who was a wildcard for LIV last season, struggled to improve on his initial T36 finish and was subsequently let go, leaving him at a career crossroads. Swafford was among the first group of players to leave the PGA Tour and compete in the inaugural LIV events in 2022. The three-time PGA title winner was given a lengthy ban after deciding to join the breakaway league.

His 2023 season was marred by injury, and despite being given another chance as a wildcard last year, his performances were underwhelming. As a result, Swafford found himself unable to rejoin the PGA for at least a year after leaving LIV, casting doubt over his future in the sport. The American golfer could have opted to play on an alternative golf tour. Instead, he made the huge decision to step away from the sport and explore a new career path in real estate.

Swafford has now revealed that he is working for a real estate company in Atlanta following his departure from LIV. While he hasn't completely ruled out a return to golf, he has admitted to relishing his new career and enjoying spending more time with his family.

"I had been struggling with my golf as my scores reflected, especially on LIV the last few years, I've been in a pretty bad place with golf," he told the . "So doing something new is very refreshing, putting a lot of time and energy into that has been great.

"It's kind of allowed me to kind of step back, hang out more with the family. I mean, golf is amazing. Competing at the highest level is the best, but it's very tough on a family life and I have three kids. So seeing that aspect and being around a lot more has really been kind of eye-opening and it's actually been really, really enjoyable."

Swafford would have been prevented from making an immediate comeback to the PGA due to the automatic 12-month ban that affects players who have left LIV. While he has held talks with the PGA, Swafford has shared that his suspension is set to conclude in 2027. He states his ban was determined by the five LIV tournaments he participated in during 2022, earning a 12-month ban for each violation.

"I've had some good back-and-forths with the PGA Tour, but then some wishy-washy," Swafford explained. "It's still not set in stone. I know they've set up suspended until '27, which I know they're basing that on a couple of people's contracts being up after the '26 season, so then they can kind of change rules in favour of everybody coming back."

There have been instances where former LIV golfers have made their way back to the PGA following a year-long ban, though this doesn't seem to be the case for Swafford. The 38-year-old may be able to picture a timeframe for when the divide between LIV and the PGA will start to heal, but Swafford remains unsure about the harshness of his own punishment.

"I don't know how you can come up with a five or five-and-a-half year suspension based on I played five events while the PGA Tour season was going on in '22 that I wasn't able to get media releases for," he said. "So they're giving me a year for each of those - that's how they came up with '27."

Swafford is enjoying his property career and remains uncertain about how the sport will look should he decide to make a comeback. He anticipates that changes on the PGA Tour could affect how he would need to earn qualification for future tournaments.

"Problem is, if I come in and talk to them, it's like, 'OK, I can come back and play in '27, but what does '27 on the PGA Tour really look like?'" Swafford admitted. "Is it no more opposite field events? They're already reducing fields.

"So, I would go ahead and bet and say that the past champions category is pretty much done going forward after this year. I mean, we can agree or disagree, but it just seems like that. And they've kind of told me that. So I mean, I guess you can sign up for Monday qualifiers, but really I'd be basically suspended until Q-School of '27."