A former LIV Golf star has embarked on a new career in real estate since leaving the tour last year and remains suspended from the PGA Tour after leaving in 2022
09:00, 26 Oct 2025Updated 09:01, 26 Oct 2025
Hudson Swafford has started a new career after leaving LIV golf last year(Image: David Cannon/Getty Images)
A lot has changed for Hudson Swafford since LIV Golf opted not to renew his contract a year ago. The 38-year-old was a LIV wildcard last season, but he struggled to improve on his opening T36 finish during the campaign and was subsequently released, leaving him at a career crossroads.
Swafford had been part of the first wave of players to defect from the PGA Tour and compete in the inaugural LIV events in 2022. The three-time PGA title winner competed in five LIV events that year and received a lengthy PGA ban for his decision to join the breakaway league.
A hip injury disrupted his 2023 season, and last year’s wildcard gave him another chance to prove himself. However, as a result of his disappointing performances, Swafford’s future in the sport was uncertain due to being ineligible to rejoin the PGA for at least 12 months after leaving LIV.
The American golfer could have chosen to compete on an alternate golf tour. However, he made the bold decision to take a break from the sport and pursue another career.
Swafford has revealed that he is currently working for a real estate company in Atlanta after leaving LIV. While he has not ruled out a return to golf, Swafford has admitted that he has embraced his new career and is enjoying spending more time with his family.
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“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 Subpar Podcast. “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.”
Hudson Swafford has been enjoying his real estate career after leaving LIV golf last year(Image: Charlotte Tattersall/Getty Images)
Swafford would have been unable to immediately return to the PGA due to the automatic 12-month suspension that applies to players who have left LIV. While he has been in discussions with the PGA, Swafford has revealed that his ban is scheduled to end in 2027. He claimed this was based on the five LIV events he competed in during 2022, receiving a 12-month suspension for each breach.
“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 examples of former LIV players returning to the PGA after serving a year’s suspension, but it seems that does not apply to Swafford. While he can envision a timeline for when the rift between LIV and the PGA will begin to mend, Swafford remains unconvinced about the severity of his own ban.
Hudson Swafford won The American Express in 2022 before joining LIV Golf(Image: Steph Chambers/Getty Images)
“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 career in real estate and is unsure how the sport will look if he chooses to return. He predicts that changes on the PGA Tour could impact how he would be made to qualify for future events.
“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.”
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