PGA TOUR
The Amercian Express
Swafford Banks American Express Title
Hudson Swafford carded a sensational final round 8-under 64 to win The American Express by two shots in La Quinta, California. The 34-year-old earned his second victory in the Coachella Valley after winning his maiden PGA Tour title at this event in 2017. He becomes the 9th player to win multiple American Express titles. It’s a coveted group of golfers that includes legends of the game such as Arnold Palmer, Johnny Miller and Phil Mickelson. The win was Swafford’s third PGA Tour title.
Swafford, ranked 166 in the world, scored a runaway two-shot win after starting the day three shots off the lead and making a bogey at the opening hole on Sunday. The American then carded four birdies over the next eight holes to cover the front nine in 3-under. His drama-filled back nine stretch of golf featured just one par. Swafford opened the back nine with three consecutive birdies. His brush-in birdie at the 12th hole moved him to the top of the leaderboard for the first time. He made a three-putt bogey at the 13th hole to fall to a share of the lead before re-claiming the lead at the next hole with a stunning bounce-back birdie. He then produced his second bogey on the back nine at the 15th hole. At this point in the contest, he held a narrow one shot lead over seven players. Swafford rebounded from the error at the 15th in style when he striped his approach to the 16th green from 198 yards to just eight feet from the cup. He then converted the eagle putt to break away from the field holding a two-shot with two holes to play. He poured in another birdie putt from 19 feet at the 17th green and holed a clutch par putt from nine feet at the final hole to tally 23-under for the event. His final round 64 was the equal low round on Sunday at the Pete Dye Stadium Course.
Fellow American Tom Hoge claimed solo second place at 21-under. The 32-year-old, who started the final round one shot off the lead, was searching for his maiden PGA Tour win. Hoge produced a final round 4-under 68.
Brian Harman (64), Lanto Griffin (67) and Lee Hodges (70) took a share of third place at 20-under. Hodges, a PGA Tour rookie was playing in just his 14th start on the PGA Tour. The performance at La Quinta outstripped his previous best result on the PGA Tour (T11 Barracuda Championship in 2021).
Reigning FedExCup champion Patrick Cantlay signed for a final round 4-under 68 to reach 18-under. Cantlay back up his runner-up performance last year to finish in 9th place.
Defending champion Si Woo Kim made a dash for his title defense covering the first 16 holes in seven under. The South Korean moved within two shots of the lead. His run ended with a double bogey at the par 3, 17th hole where he found the water from the tee. Kim posted a final round 5-under 67 to finish at 16-under and in a tie for 11th place.
World No. 1 Jon Rahm closed with a 1-under 71 to get to 14-under. The marquee player who won the event in 2018, finished in a tie for 14th place.
Jason Day was the only Australian to make the 54-hole cut. The 2015 PGA Champion finished in a tie for 49th place after producing a 2-under 70 on Sunday to get to 9-under.
The PGA Tour remains in California for next week’s Farmers Insurance Open at Torrey Pines. America’s Patrick Reed is the defending champion.
Final Scores
The American Express
1. Hudson Swafford -23
2. Tom Hoge -21
T3. Brian Harman -20
T3. Lanto Griffin -20
T3. Lee Hodges -20
T6. Francesco Molinari -19
T6. Will Zalatoris -19
T6. Denny McCarthy -19
9. Patrick Cantlay -18
Australians
T49. Jason Day -9
MC. Brett Drewitt
Photo credit: Steph Chambers/Getty Images
