Getting Over The Hump

By: Hunter Mall

Some of you may know him as the kid from Capital City Country Club, others as the teen who shocked our city with his junior golf career, or the humble southern gentlemen that he is.

However you may know him, Hudson Swafford is a definite Tallahassee favorite on the PGA tour.

After graduating from Maclay in 2006, Hudson went on to the University of Georgia to play college golf. After having an astonishing career at UGA, Hudson decided to drive his game to the next level.

After what looked to be a stepping stone first year on the Web.com tour, Hudson finished 27th for the year’s money list and missed the PGA tour by two spots.

This did not defeat him though. If there is one thing that I know as a golfer, it is that anyone who can spend hours upon hours in the Tallahassee heat and humidity is not going to be thrown off their dream that easily.

There he was again in the driver’s seat heading into the Web.com playoffs and this year the result ended with the Tallahassee native holding a card.

Not just any card, this card is the card that every junior golfer dreams of having. It means that you get to play with the best in the world and that you are one of the best in the world. A little something that all of us golfers can be jealous of.

This year Hudson has one top ten and three top twenty five finishes. Playing some of his best golf of the year, Hudson has fought his way into the top of the leaderboard at this week’s Quicken Loans National at Congressional. A tough and unforgiving golf course for poorly executed shots. As the world looked on to the conclusion of Sunday’s round, I could only hope that there would have been come-from-behind magic in the air.

Only trailing three shots, it was not impossible, but on such a grueling golf course, it wasn’t in the cards this time. However, Hudson got close to his first victory on the PGA tour. From the kid that shocked us a decade ago with his golf skills, maybe just maybe he can shock us again soon.