UNC Golfer David Ford Wins Haskins Award as National Player of the Year

UNC senior golfer David Ford was named the winner of the Fred Haskins Award this week, honoring him as the national player of the year in men’s collegiate golf.

In addition, Ford was also named a first team All-American by PING Wednesday, becoming the first Tar Heel ever to earn first team All-America honors twice. He earned first team honors in 2023 and third team honors in 2022 and 2024. He’s the only UNC golfer ever to be named a first, second or third team All-American in each of his four seasons in Chapel Hill.

In his senior season, Ford led the nation in scoring average (68.78) and wins (five), while also setting UNC program records for scoring, combined score to par (-89), average score to par per round (-2.47) and rounds in the 60s (25). He was named ACC Player of the Month three times, giving him five wins in his collegiate career.

Ford became the first UNC golfer to win three consecutive tournaments, taking home first place in the Valspar Collegiate Invitational, the Augusta Haskins Award Invitational and the Tar Heel Intercollegiate this past spring.

For his career, Ford holds or is tied for the school record in wins (seven), scoring (70.13), combined score to par (-162), average score to par per round (-1.13) and rounds in the 60s (66).

Ford is just the second Tar Heel golfer ever to win the Haskins Award, joining John Inman in 1984. He is also the 11th ACC golfer to win the award and the first to do so since 2021. The Haskins Award was first presented in 1971.

Featured image via YCJ/Andy Mead

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