Hudson Swafford, a former LIV Golf star, claims he has been blocked from returning to the PGA Tour due to a five-year ban.
He was one of the first PGA Tour players to join LIV Golf in 2022, but his move has cost him a return to the tour.
Swafford believes he was handed a year suspension for each of the first five LIV events he played without release from the PGA Tour.
He expects to be able to compete when PGA Tour Q-School comes around in 2027.
The PGA Tour has been strict with players who have joined LIV Golf, with many facing suspensions and bans.
This has led to a rift between the two organizations, with many players caught in the middle.
Swafford’s story is just one example of the challenges faced by players who have chosen to join LIV Golf.
The future of golf is uncertain, with many questions surrounding the relationship between the PGA Tour and LIV Golf.
One thing is certain, however: the drama and controversy surrounding the two organizations will continue to make headlines in the golf world.

the battle over PGA Tour return rights. Former LIIV golf player faces unprecedented 5-year ban in a shocking revelation that highlights the deepening rift in professional golf. Former PGA Tour player Hudson Swaford claims he’s been hit with what amounts to a 5-year ban from returning to the tour, a punishment he argues is disproportionate to his actions. Swaffford, who was among the first wave of players to join LIIV Golf in 2022, participated in the controversial league’s inaugural event at Centurion and went on to compete in all nine tournaments of its first season. While he knew there would be consequences for his decision, he never anticipated the severity of the tour’s response. Here’s where it gets interesting. Swford believes the PGA Tour calculated his suspension by adding one year for each of the five unauthorized LIIV events he played before resigning his tour membership. I don’t know how you can justify a 5 and 1/2year suspension for playing five events. Swaffford told.com Subpar podcast clearly frustrated by what he sees as excessive punishment. The contrast in treatment is particularly striking when compared to Lorie Caner, another 2024 LIIV wildcard player who received only a one-year suspension. The key difference, Caner had never held PGA Tour membership, and he’s already made history as the first LIIV player to compete in a PGA Tour event at the Players Championship this March. But here’s when it gets controversial. Swaffford suggests there might be strategic timing at play. He speculates that the tour is deliberately waiting until after 2026 when several LIV players contracts expire to potentially change rules in favor of everybody coming back. This has led many to question whether the tour’s harsh stance is less about principle and more about control. After an injury plagued 2023 season and subsequent relegation from Live Golf in September, Swafford, a three-time PGA Tour winner, now faces a long wait until 2027 before he can attempt to rejoin through Q school. What do you think? Is the PGA Tour’s punishment fair, or does it represent an overreach of power in professional golf? Should there be a standardized system for handling players who want to return from live golf? Share your thoughts in the comments.

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