David Ford has reached several milestones in the last month. He completed the best individual season in UNC men’s golf’s history, earned a spot on the PGA Tour for next season, and got a video message from Tar Heel legends.
Ford — a senior with the Carolina program and a Georgia native — finished at the top of the PGA Tour University rankings at the end of the collegiate season, amassing more than 1,200 points across 27 events. His six wins were more than anyone else in the country and set a new single-season record for UNC alongside his next record in average scoring (68.78), score to par (-89), score to par per round (-2.47) and rounds in the 60s (25).
The UNC men’s golf team fell short of advancing to the NCAA Championships this year, meaning Ford’s collegiate career ended at the Urbana Regional on May 14. But with that top spot in the university rankings, he secured a two-year entry to the professional tour, starting with the RBC Canadian Open this weekend.
To celebrate the achievement and transition from college to the pro field, the PGA Tour arranged a special video message to be shared with Ford. In it, UNC men’s basketball icons Roy Williams and Vince Carter congratulate the graduating senior, as well as new Carolina football head coach Bill Belichick and his predecessor, Mack Brown.
“I think Coach Williams definitely stood out to me,” Ford remarked afterward in a video the PGA Tour shared on social media. “He’s had a lot of belief in me since freshman year, so I’m super thankful for the way he’s taught me about how to be a great leader and also the ways he’s encouraged me.”
Ford finished off a sparkling four-year run with the Tar Heels as the most decorated player in the program. He became the first UNC golfer to win the Nicklaus Award and the second to win the Haskins Award (John Inman in 1984), both of which are annually given to the best player of the year. He also earned first-team All-America and All-PING/East Region honors, becoming the first Tar Heel ever to earn first team All-America honors twice. Ford is also 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.
Featured photo via Andy Mead/YCJ via UNC Athletics Communications.
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