WiretoWire: Hudson Swafford's emotional win at The American Express

SWAFFORD’S EMOTIONAL VICTORY AT THE AMERICAN EXPRESS

​​Hudson Swafford emerged from a crowded leaderboard Sunday to capture his third career PGA TOUR title at The American Express, recording five birdies and an eagle on the final nine for a closing 8-under 64 at PGA West’s Stadium Course, two strokes clear of Tom Hoge at 23-under total. Swafford was noticeably emotional as he departed the 18th green after draining a 9-footer for par in the penultimate group, carrying his son James as he walked to the scoring area. A deeper layer of emotion was revealed in his winner’s press conference, as the 34-year-old University of Georgia alum revealed that his father David passed away in December after a long battle with Parkinson’s disease. Having his son in attendance for his second victory at The American Express – he also won in the Palm Desert in 2017 – made it all the sweeter. Swafford earns 500 FedExCup points for the victory and moves to No. 7 in the season-long FedExCup standings, as he eyes a spot on this year’s Presidents Cup team and continued upward trajectory in golf’s hierarchy.

PGA TOUR TAKES ON TORREY

World No. 1 Jon Rahm returns to his haven, Torrey Pines. Rahm won the Farmers Insurance Open in 2017, was runner-up in 2020, finished T7 last year and won the U.S. Open at Torrey in 2021. Plenty of stars inside the top 10 in the world are in the field including Justin Thomas, San Diego native Xander Schauffele, Bryson DeChambeau, and Hideki Matsuyama, the TOUR’s only two-time winner this season and current FedExCup leader. Patrick Reed, who won by five shots last season for the widest margin of victory in his career, returns to defend. This week also marks the return of Dustin Johnson for his first TOUR event of 2022. Golfers will play one round apiece on the South and North courses at Torrey Pines before the 36-hole cut. The final two rounds will be played on the South Course. Torrey Pines South has hosted the 2008 and 2021 U.S. Opens, won by Tiger Woods and Jon Rahm, respectively. 500 FedExCup points are up for grabs in San Diego. 

VIDEO OF THE WEEK

MIC CHECK

“I play some golf, honestly that’s the truth. I’ve never been a gym guy,” Rafael Nadal said, when asked how he stays fit. 

BY THE NUMBERS

21 - Patrick Cantlay ended his streak of consecutive rounds in the 60s on TOUR, setting the record at 21.

19 - Sensational 19-year-old Akshay Bhatia won the opening event of the Korn Ferry Tour season, becoming the third-youngest player to win since the Tour’s establishment in 1990. Bhatia tees it up again as the season rolls along at The Bahamas Great Abaco Classic.

11 - Miguel Angel Jiménez claimed the Mitsubishi Electric Championship at Hualalai for the third time and his 11th PGA TOUR Champions win.

COMCAST BUSINESS TOUR TOP 10

The Comcast Business TOUR TOP 10 highlights and rewards the extraordinary level of play required to earn a spot in the TOP 10 at the conclusion of the FedExCup Regular Season as determined by the FedExCup standings. The competition recognizes and awards the most elite in golf.