Golf star ‘kicked out of LIV’ and banned from returning to PGA Tour | Golf | Sport

American golfer Hudson Swafford has been kicked out of LIV Golf after a dismal 2024 season.

The 37-year-old finished tied for 36th in the first LIV event of the year and failed to better that result across 12 subsequent meets. And according to Flushing It, bosses of the Saudi-backed breakaway tour have opted not to renew his contract.

Compounding Swafford’s misery is the fact that, even if he wanted to return to the PGA Tour, he is ineligible for another 12 months due to having competed in LIV, which they consider an ‘unauthorised event’.

Swafford opened his PGA Tour account in 2017 by winning California’s CareerBuilder Challenge. The Florida-born competitor had to wait more than three years for his second triumph at the Corales Puntacana Resort and Club Championship. And his third came at The American Express in 2022.

Despite gaining momentum in the States, Swafford took the leap of faith to join LIV Golf for their inaugural event, and had his PGA Tour membership suspended indefinitely as a result.

A hip injury left Swafford sidelined for a large chunk of 2023 and he was one of two wildcards this season. His wildcard status saved him from the drop, despite finishing in the relegation zone, but his contract has not been renewed in any case.

With the American booted out by LIV and unable to return to the PGA Tour for another year, it remains to be seen what he does next. One option is to play on the Asian Tour’s International Series, which serves as a pathway to LIV for whoever finishes top of the standings.

Reigning amateur champion Jacob Skov Olesen has picked that route and talked up the tour’s credentials, despite remaining open to gaining a spot on the PGA Tour or the DP World Tour.

“It’s a real opportunity for me and I’m very open-minded,” said the Dane earlier this month. “There are a lot of people that are looking this way, especially with The International Series now, with bigger prize pools. And yes, this seems to be run extremely well.

“If you know that the tournaments are run well, with good courses and destinations, people will want to play. When you see this, and you hear from other guys that have done it, then it becomes an option. And I definitely think you’re going to see a lot more guys from America and Europe coming over here to play.”