Hudson Swafford celebrates first victory in 3 ½ years with ‘one, two or 12 beers. No one was really counting’
JACKSON, Miss. – How did Hudson Swafford celebrate earning his first victory on Sunday in more than 3½ years?
“Not hard enough,” he said of an impromptu gathering with his caddie, wife, and fellow pros at the Corales Puntacana Resort and Club Championship in the Dominican Republic. Caddie Benji Thompson, who was on the bag for cut-casualty Kevin Chappell, enjoyed some deep sea fishing earlier that day and caught a bunch of mahi mahi that the resort cooked up for a feast.
“We had one or two or 12 beers, no one was really counting, but we had a great time, and then my wife was in the middle of maybe 15 guys. I felt bad for her, but at the same time, she was enjoying it and having a good time, having a good laugh,” Swafford said.
He was the only player in the 144-man field to record four rounds in the 60s and overcame losing a three-stroke lead on the back nine before rallying over the final two holes to claim his second career Tour title.
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Swafford endured a few bumps in the road between his first victory at the 2017 American Express when he climbed as high as No. 75 in the world and beginning this year as No. 426. First, he suffered a rib injury and then just when that healed he required surgery to remove a small bone in the bottom of his right foot. He missed four months in the summer of 2019, during which time his wife gave birth to their son. Playing this season on a medical exemption, Swafford was down to two starts and needed to make something happen. The pressure was mounting, but he knew his game was sharp, as did his swing instructor, Scott Hamilton.
“He’s like, ‘I’ve got nothing for you, you’re playing great, you’re swinging it great. It’s just kind of mental,’ ” Swafford said.
Hudson Swafford celebrates with his caddie Kyle Bradley after winning the 2020 Corales Puntacana Resort & Club Championship on Sept. 27, 2020 in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic. Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images
Ah, the mental game. That can be even trickier to mend than removing a small bone in his foot. Swafford called on an old friend, sports psychologist Bhrett McCabe, who changed his mindset by downplaying the importance of retaining his Tour privileges.
“He’s like, man, honestly, you keep doing this, you’re not going to keep your card anyway, so you might as well just go have fun and enjoy playing golf again and try to just be like a junior golfer; just go have fun and you’re just playing for a trophy,” Swafford recounted.
McCabe added: “You’re going to play golf the rest of your career. You’ve got a long career, two tournaments aren’t going to define you. He’s like, you’re going to be playing on the PGA Tour for a long time regardless. He goes, you’re going to play other events this fall, you’re going to play other events in the spring, so let’s just go and have fun these last two events and get out of your own way because you know your golf is good.”
It sure was on Sunday at Corales Golf Club as Swafford shot 5-under 31 on the front nine to lead by as many as four strokes. He let the field, in particular Mackenzie Hughes who tied him, back into the trophy hunt with a two-chip double bogey on the par-4 13th and a bogey at the 15th. Swafford never panicked and he stiffed a 6-iron at the par-3 17th for the go-ahead birdie before making a clinching 8-foot par putt at the seaside 18th. Some more of his work with McCabe proved vital down the stretch.
“You’ve got to stay in the moment. Got to stay in the present. We’ve been working on that and kind of just focusing on that and a clear thought before I hit a golf shot,” Swafford said. “Bad thoughts are going to creep in your head, obviously, with anything that you do, but it’s how you handle it and how you react to it is the big thing.”
Hudson Swafford plays his third shot on the 15th hole during the final round of the 2020 Corales Puntacana Resort & Club Championship in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic. Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images
Swafford closed with 3-under 69 for an 18-under 270 total and went from trying to satisfy his major medical to exempt on Tour through 2023. Healthy and wealthy and with grander ambitions, Swafford was asked whether his second victory was more meaningful to him given the injuries that had stalled his career.
“Your first one is your most special, I think,” he said. “I definitely didn’t want to be that guy who was like – that just had one PGA Tour win. I’m not saying you get lucky and just win once, but I want to win multiple times. That’s why I get up and grind and do what I do.”
