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All-time shots from The American Express
Monthly Archives: January 2022
J.R. Smith signs with Excel for NIL representation
Excel Sports Management already represents many of the world’s top golfers, including Tiger Woods and Justin Thomas. It just added the most famous player in college golf, as well.
J.R. Smith, the former NBA star now attending North Carolina A&T, has signed with Excel to represent him in potential NIL deals on the course. ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reported the deal, citing Excel’s Lance Young.
The NCAA’s new name, image and likeness legislation allows Smith to endorse products through things such as commercials and social media postings. Smith has six million followers on Instagram. He has drawn “significant” interest from equipment companies, clothing manufacturers and video game companies, Young told ESPN.
Smith was drafted into the NBA out of high school in 2004. His 16-year career included two championships – in 2016 with the Cleveland Cavaliers and 2020 with the Los Angeles Lakers — and the 2013 Sixth Man of the Year Award. He is in his second semester at North Carolina A&T, an HBCU in Greensboro, North Carolina, where the avid golfer is a member of the men’s golf team. He made his competitive debut for the Aggies in October, shooting 83-78-79.
“Golf is one of those games that has you feeling really high and or can bring you down to your knees and humble you,” Smith said in August. “And to have that feeling and knowing that all of the game’s pretty much on my own hands and I don’t have to worry about teammates to pass the ball and receiving passes and playing defense so, I can play my game and just have fun.”
Smith has said that he wants to serve as a bridge to golf for underrepresented minority groups. He’s already had an impact at A&T. It was announced in December that the school’s golf teams have entered into an agreement with TaylorMade to receive equipment and accessories such as bags, gloves and hats.
“We embrace the growth of golf at (historically black colleges and universities),” said TaylorMade program manager copyrighter Tony Starks. “We want to be a part of that. For TaylorMade, this is a perfect partnership as we strive toward broadening the sport of golf.
“If it is to have sustained success at HBCUs, recruiting is pivotal. In a positive sense, we want to have a large impact through the visibility of our product with a school like North Carolina A&T. We hope to broaden the audience so that the public at large knows there is great golf played at HBCUs.”
A month after his father’s passing, Hudson Swafford authors dramatic win at The American Express
LA QUINTA, Calif. – It’s been more than five years since David Swafford last watched his son, Hudson, compete on the PGA TOUR. Parkinson’s Disease had made walking the courses too difficult.
But, as Hudson made another spirited rally at PGA West’s Stadium Course, he knew his father was there for the five back-nine birdies and eagle that led to his third PGA TOUR victory.
“He was getting to see me hit good shots in person,” Hudson said Sunday. “It’s been a long time.”
David Swafford passed away on Dec. 6 at the age of 83. But Hudson could feel his father’s presence, looking skyward several times on the back nine. He heard his father’s voice telling him, “Be confident. You’re playing great.”
Hudson shot 31 on PGA West’s final nine – including an eagle at the par-5 16th and birdie on the island-green 17th – to win his second American Express by two shots over Tom Hoge. This win came five years after Hudson earned his first TOUR win at PGA West. That victory earned him an invitation to his first Masters and allowed him to play Augusta National alongside his dad in the weeks leading up to the tournament. The 2017 Masters was the last time David watched his son in person.
This year’s win came on the week that David Swafford would have turned 84.
“I know he was following and watching and to get it done, it was awesome,” Hudson said.
A three-sport athlete in high school, David Swafford fell in love with golf after moving to Tallahassee, Florida. He was known for a smooth backswing, and could often be found playing golf or walking his dogs at his home club, Capital City Country Club.
It was at Capital City where Hudson’s parents and the members gathered to watch Hudson chase down his first PGA TOUR victory. Last month, a wake was held for David in the same clubhouse. David’s bag, which was one of his son’s old staff bags, was displayed in the club’s ballroom. Inside, were hand-written notes David had written about his love of the game.
He passed that love onto his son. He got Hudson his first clubs, a plastic set, when he was 2 years old.
“The first afternoon, I kind of broke the heads off the clubs and he’s like, ‘We might be on to something,’” said Hudson, who eventually grew to be 6-foot-4.
Hudson adored his father, and playing golf allowed him to spend even more time alongside him. David would pass along tips until Hudson’s game progressed beyond his father’s ability to help him. But the lessons were about more than the proper grip or address position.
“He taught me everything I know,” Hudson said Sunday. “How to be a dad, how to be a friend, how to be a champion, and how to play golf.”
Hudson played like a champion Sunday, especially on a back nine that Pete Dye designed to create wild swings in scoring and elicit excitement. “It’s hang-on-to-your-hat time when you turn back toward the clubhouse,” Dye wrote in his autobiography.
Lee Hodges, a rookie seeking his first win, led most of Sunday, but Swafford took the lead by starting the back nine with three straight birdies. He was two ahead after Hodges made bogey at the par-3 13th, but Swafford gave back a shot back of his own on 15.
Then he slammed the door. He hit a 7-iron to 8 feet on 16, the par-5 known as “San Andreas” because of the deep chasm left of the green, and a birdie at the island 17th. That birdie put him three ahead with one hole remaining.
The final hole was the perfect time for Swafford to make his first par of the back nine. Playing away from the water left of the green, Swafford hit his approach 45 feet right of the hole. He misjudged the birdie putt, leaving himself a 9-footer for par, however. He pumped his fist when that putt fell, knowing that it was enough to keep Tom Hoge, who’d pulled within two with his own birdie at 17, at bay.
It was the second time that Swafford took advantage of Dye’s treacherous closing holes to win at the Stadium Course. He birdied Nos. 15-17 here five years ago.
This was the third PGA TOUR win for Swafford, a 34-year-old Georgia alum. He sandwiched a victory at last season’s Corales Puntacana Resort & Club Championship in between his two wins at PGA West. He also made an 8-foot putt for par on the final hole of that win.
That win came with just two starts remaining in a major medical extension. He missed nearly two-thirds of his cuts in the remainder of the season, though. The inconsistency was befuddling and led to a difficult decision to part ways with his longtime swing coach. He started working with John Tillery, who also works with fellow Georgia alum Kevin Kisner. Swafford started seeing promising signs but his short game left him unable to capitalize on his improved ballstriking.
A new putter and a slight setup tweak made after Saturday’s third round helped him summon his best in Sunday’s final round and pay tribute to the man who meant so much to him.
“I can never thank him enough,” Hudson said Sunday. Giving him another opportunity to see his son succeed in the game they loved is a start.
The First Look: The American Express
Last season’s FedExCup champion Patrick Cantlay and world No. 1 Jon Rahm lead the field at The American Express, as the PGA TOUR returns to the mainland United States after two weeks in Hawaii.
Si Woo Kim, who bested Cantlay by one stroke in 2021, returns to defend.
FIELD NOTES: Patrick Cantlay shot a course-record 61 in the final round a year ago but ultimately fell one shot short of Si Woo Kim’s winning total. He’s back and hoping to lift the trophy … 2018 American Express winner Jon Rahm returns to action … Tournament host and reigning PGA Championship winner Phil Mickelson is set to tee it up … 2020-21 PGA TOUR Rookie of the Year Will Zalatoris will play his first event of the 2022 portion of the schedule … Other 2022 debutants include Francesco Molinari, Gary Woodland, Alex Noren, and Rickie Fowler … Fowler is teeing it up for the first time since the World Wide Technology Championship at Mayakoba – and for the first time since becoming a father in November … There are 14 past champions of The American Express in the field … Sponsor’s exemptions include T.J Vogel, Chan Kim, James Hart du Preez and celebrated collegiate star John Pak … Cameron Champ is set to return to action after testing positive for COVID-19 and missing the Sentry Tournament of Champions.
FEDEXCUP: Winner receives 500 FedExCup points.
COURSE: The American Express is set to return to play at three courses for 2021 after utilizing just two last year for the first time in tournament history.
Yardages are subject to change.
PGA West (Stadium Course): 7,113 yards, par 72
La Quinta Country Club: 7,060 yards, par 72
PGA West (Nicklaus Tournament Course): 7,159 yards, par 72
STORYLINES: The pro-am portion of The American Express returns in 2022 after being eliminated last year. Each professional will be grouped with amateurs for the first three rounds before the low 65 pros (and ties) will play their final round at the Stadium Course at PGA West … Jon Rahm is the first world No. 1 to tee it up at The American Express since former FedExCup champion Justin Rose in 2019. Rahm won the event in 2018, did not play for two years, and was scheduled to play in 2021 before tweaking a muscle at the gym … This is the 63rd annual American Express … Si Woo Kim will look to be the first player to successfully defend his title at The American Express since Johnny Miller in 1975-76.
72-HOLE RECORD: 260, Patrick Reed (2014).
18-HOLE RECORD: 59, David Duval (Round 5, 1999 at PGA West/Palmer), Adam Hadwin (Round 3, 2017 at La Quinta CC). Stadium Course record: 61, Patrick Cantlay (Round 4, 2021). Nicklaus Tournament record: 59, Harrison Frazar (Round 4, 2008 PGA TOUR Qualifying Tournament, Final Stage*).
Note: Q-School does not count as an official PGA TOUR event.
LAST TIME: Si Woo Kim won for the third time on the PGA TOUR and extracted a little revenge on The American Express event after withdrawing a year prior due to severe back pain. The 25-year-old made birdie on two of his closing three holes to finish with an 8-under 64 on Sunday, topping Patrick Cantlay by one shot. Kim shot a 15-over 87 in the first round of The American Express in 2020 and promptly withdrew. Cantlay was six groups ahead of Kim and shot a final-round 61, breaking the Stadium Course record by two. Cantlay’s sizzling closer included 11 birdies, emphasized by a 37-foot birdie roll on 18. However, Kim’s solid closing stretch was good enough for the victory. Cam Davis finished third after a closing 64, while Tony Finau finished fourth. Abraham Ancer, Doug Ghim and Michael Thompson rounded out the top five.
HOW TO FOLLOW (All times ET)
Television: Thursday-Sunday, 3 p.m.-7 p.m. (Golf Channel)
Radio: Thursday-Friday, 1–7 p.m.; Saturday-Sunday, 2 p.m.-7 p.m. (PGA TOUR Radio on SiriusXM and PGATOUR.com/liveaudio)
Thursday | Friday | Saturday | Sunday | |
Stream 1 | Main Feed: 12 p.m.-3 p.m. | Main Feed: 12 p.m.-3 p.m. | Main Feed: 11:30 a.m.-3 p.m. | Main Feed: 11:30 a.m.-3 p.m. |
Featured Group: 3 p.m.-7 p.m. | Featured Group: 3 p.m.-7 p.m. | Featured Group: 3 p.m.-7 p.m. | Featured Group: 3 p.m.-7 p.m. | |
Stream 2 | Marquee: 1 p.m.-3 p.m. | Marquee: 1 p.m.-3 p.m. | Marquee: 12:30 p.m.-3 p.m. | Marquee: 12:30 p.m.-3 p.m. |
Featured Group: 3 p.m.-7 p.m. | Featured Group: 3 p.m.-7 p.m. | Featured Group: 3 p.m.-7 p.m. | Featured Group: 3 p.m.-7 p.m. | |
Stream 3 | Featured Groups: 12:45 p.m.-3 p.m. | Featured Groups: 12:45 p.m.-3 p.m. | Featured Groups: 12:15 p.m.-3 p.m. | Featured Groups: 12:15 p.m.-3 p.m. |
Featured Hole: 3 p.m.-7 p.m. | Featured Hole: 3 p.m.-7 p.m. | Featured Hole: 3 p.m.-7 p.m. | Featured Hole: 3 p.m.-7 p.m. | |
Stream 4 | Featured Holes: 12:45 p.m.-3 p.m. | Featured Holes: 12:45 p.m.-3 p.m. | Featured Holes: 12:15 p.m.-3 p.m. | Featured Holes: 12:15 p.m.-3 p.m. |
Featured Hole: 3 p.m.-7 p.m. | Featured Hole: 3 p.m.-7 p.m. | Featured Hole: 3 p.m.-7 p.m. | Featured Hole: 3 p.m.-7 p.m. |
PGA TOUR LIVE is available exclusively on ESPN+
• Main Feed: Primary tournament coverage featuring the best action from across the course
• Marquee Group: New “marquee group” showcasing every shot from each player in the group
• Featured Groups: Traditional PGA TOUR LIVE coverage of two concurrent featured groups
• Featured Holes: A combination of par-3s and iconic or pivotal holes