Why this former PGA Tour pro will compete in the LIV Golf League without a team

Hudson Swafford was one of the first players to depart the PGA Tour for the riches of LIV Golf. 

The American played all eight tournaments during LIV Golf's inaugural 2022 campaign as part of Bubba Watson's Niblicks. 

Watson's team have since rebranded to the RangeGoats and Swafford had hoped he was going to be part of the 2023 season. 

But a hip injury ruled him out of action for six months and Watson snapped up Thomas Pieters instead. 

Swafford will be playing this season on the breakaway tour but he won't be representing a side. 

Instead, he will be competing individually as one of two wildcards in all 14 of LIV Golf's stops in 2024. 

LIV have expanded its field to accommodate Jon Rahm's Legion XIII and added two more wildcard spaces. 

The wildcard will be still be eligible to compete in the season-long individual championship and be able to pick up prize money.  

England's Laurie Canter is the other wildcard for the first stop in Mayakoba, Mexico. 

Canter will also be the wildcard when LIV heads to Las Vegas over 8-10 February.

LIV say further announcements about the wildcard will be made in due course. 

The wildcards news coincided with the official confirmation European Ryder Cup 'snub' Adrian Meronk has joined Martin Kaymer's Cleeks. 

Australian Lucas Herbert has also signed for Cameron Smith's Ripper team, although a leaked image of the golfer preceded the announcement. 

LIV Golf League 2024 team names and captains:

Legion XIII

Captain: Jon Rahm

• Tyrrell Hatton
• Caleb Surratt
• Kieran Vincent

4 Aces GC

Captain: Dustin Johnson 

• Harold Varner III
• Pat Perez
• Patrick Reed

Crushers GC 

Captain: Bryson DeChambeau

• Paul Casey
• Charles Howell III
• Anirban Lahiri

Fireballs GC

Captain: Sergio Garcia

• Abraham Ancer
• David Puig
• Eugenio Lopez-Chacarra

Cleeks GC

Captain: Martin Kaymer

• Graeme McDowell
• Bernd Wiesberger
• Richard Bland

Hy Flyers GC

Captain: Phil Mickelson

• Cameron Tringale
• Andy Ogletree
• Brendan Steele

Iron Heads GC

Captain: Kevin Na

• Scott Vincent
• Jinichiro Kozuma
• Danny Lee

Majesticks GC 

Captains: Ian Poulter, Lee Westwood, Henrik Stenson

• Sam Horsfield

RangeGoats GC

Captain: Bubba Watson

• Thomas Pieters 
• Peter Uihlein
• Matthew Wolff

Ripper GC

Captain: Cameron Smith

• Marc Leishman 
• Matt Jones
• Lucas Herbert

Smash GC

Captain: Brooks Koepka

• Graeme McDowell
• Jason Kokrak 
• Talor Gooch

Stinger GC

Captain: Louis Oosthuizen

• Charl Schwartzel 
• Branden Grace
• Dean Burmester

Torque GC 

Captain: Joaquin Niemann

• Sebastian Munoz
• Mito Pereira 
• Carlos Ortiz

Wildcard:

• Hudson Swafford 

Read more:

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