PGA Tour Rookie Honored by UNC Legends, and Hilariously Bill Belichick
Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content.
This week, David Ford became the third player to earn a PGA Tour card by leading the PGA Tour University Program as the nation's top collegiate golfer. The former University of North Carolina star joins Ludvig Aberg (2023) and Michael Thorbjorsen (2024) as recipients of this honor.
Although the program is relatively new, the merit of earning a tour card through it has progressively gained recognition outside the golf world. In fact, several of the Tar Heels' top sports figures honored Ford for this achievement.
These big names include NBA Hall of Famer Vince Carter, a former star of North Carolina's basketball program; College Football Hall of Famer Mack Brown, the former head football coach; and College Basketball Hall of Famer Roy Williams, the former head basketball coach.
Then there is Bill Belichick's surprising praise.
David Ford of the United States watches his shot from the sixth tee during the second round of the Charles Schwab Challenge 2025 at Colonial Country Club on May 23, 2025 in Fort Worth, Texas....
David Ford of the United States watches his shot from the sixth tee during the second round of the Charles Schwab Challenge 2025 at Colonial Country Club on May 23, 2025 in Fort Worth, Texas. More"The Carolina family believes in you, and we are cheering for you every step of the way. I can't wait to see you succeed with the pros and get that first tour win under your belt. You got this. Go Heels!" Carter said.
"I just want to wish you the best as you move forward towards PGA Tour. I know the next steps are big ones, and we're all here pulling for you," Belichick added.
"Congratulations, good luck moving forward. Go Heels!" Brown said.
"You've got something special. You're different. Don't ever forget that...I look forward to many great things from you, but you're a tough little nut, and that's as good as I can say," Williams said.
Ford was visibly moved by the kind words of prominent North Carolina sports figures.
"To start off with, Vince Carter was wild. But yeah, just the whole host of people. I think Coach Williams definitely stood out to me," Ford said.
"He's just a regular guy. He knows competition. He knows how to get better, and he knows what to look for when recruiting great players."
The Tar Heels show up 🤜 🤛 to congratulate their guy @Davidfordgolf on getting his PGA TOUR card. pic.twitter.com/Keo0J4OJzS — PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) June 3, 2025
But it was certainly strange to see Belichick as part of the ensemble. The former New England Patriots head coach signed on to be North Carolina's football coach earlier this year. He basically just walked in the proverbial door.
Meanwhile, the other figures in the video have ties that go back decades.
Nevertheless, Ford's designation as the top-ranked player in the PGA Tour University Program concludes his extraordinary amateur career, which began to excel during his junior years. In fact, he was recruited by the Tar Heels, who are ranked No. 1 in the country by the American Junior Golf Association (AJGA).
While at North Carolina, he continued to improve, winning seven of the 48 tournaments he played in. This tied the record for the most wins in the Tar Heels golf program.
He also led his team to 17 victories, including the 2023 Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) title and three top-five finishes in the NCAA tournament.
These results earned him numerous accolades, including the 2025 Haskins Award, which is given to the most outstanding collegiate golfer in the country.
Three other notable collegiate stars recently received their PGA Tour cards through the PGA Tour University Accelerated Program: Luke Clanton, Jackson Koivun, and Gordon Sargent were the recipients.
More Golf: Kai Trump Makes Strong Statement amid Massive Golf Improvement
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
NBC Sports
4 minutes ago
- NBC Sports
As he leads big at Wyndham, Cameron Young picturing himself on U.S. Ryder Cup team
Cameron Young has some scar tissue from the last Ryder Cup process. Ninth in points yet bypassed for a spot on the 2023 U.S. team that eventually was beaten convincingly in Rome, Young was frustrated, he admits, by being left home. 'Set out the year to give our captain no choice,' Young said, 'and I don't know if I'm in a position to do that or not, but it would take some really good golf between now and then.' At least this week, nobody is playing better golf. Not even close, as Young is 20 under through three rounds of the Wyndham Championship, five shots clear entering Sunday's final round at Sedgefield Country Club in Greensboro, North Carolina. Seven times a runner-up but no wins still in his PGA Tour career, the 28-year-old Young would love to open the floodgates entering the FedExCup Playoffs. At No. 19 in U.S. Ryder Cup points, he's likely not going to make up enough ground to crack to top six automatic selections, which are determined after the BMW Championship. But if he wins Sunday, a victory that is projected to bump him well inside the top 20 in points, he will probably make it to the Tour Championship, meaning that after this week, his late audition for captain Keegan Bradley is three events. A product of Scarborough, New York, Young debuting in a Ryder Cup at Bethpage Black is especially meaningful. 'I think that that location is, first of all, one of my favorite golf courses in the world,' Young said. 'I have a lot of good memories there playing the New York State Open, and I'm sure a New York crowd would be, I at least hope, on my side to some extent. So yeah, that's been a goal this whole year. I'm trying to just look at that to just take all the small stuff that happens day to day as it comes… 'In the back of my mind, I'm trying to picture myself on that team.' So, how does Young compare with other potential American captain's picks? He's 74th in total strokes gained, which is well behind names such as Patrick Cantlay (11), Ben Griffin (14), Jordan Spieth (16), Sam Burns (23), Daniel Berger (24), Chris Gotterup (28) and Maverick McNealy (32). But he's 10th in strokes gained putting, a career best. 'I feel like just mechanically I just am a better putter than I am at any other point in my career,' Young said. And then he's 157th in strokes gained approach, though he seemingly discovered something last week. During the off week, he was looking through some old swing videos when he noticed his better iron swings of old had more draw bias. He decided to commit to hitting draws to hopefully build a feel that appears to have since rooted. Young is 13th in strokes gained approach through 54 holes of the Wyndham, while he's also tops in the field in putting and second off the tee. 'I had the inclination to try to like see what it felt like to hit something straighter today and just didn't,' Young said. 'Yeah, safe to say I'll probably be doing that tomorrow, see what it gets me.' It could be Young's first career PGA Tour title. And it eventually could be his first Ryder Cup nod, just like Young has been picturing.
NBC Sports
an hour ago
- NBC Sports
Young in driver's seat at Wyndham Championship
Cameron Young is on the cusp of earning his first PGA Tour win at the Wyndham Championship, where he displayed brilliance during Round 3 at Sedgefield Country Club.
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Yahoo
Iowa Xfinity results: Sam Mayer collects first victory of season
NEWTON, Iowa — Sam Mayer led the final 28 laps to win Saturday's Xfinity Series race at Iowa Speedway and claim his first victory of the season. The win is Mayer's eighth career in the Xfinity Series. He snapped a 25-race winless streak. MORE: Xfinity results Mayer gave Haas Factory Team its first series win. The organization was formed in the offseason after the demise of Stewart-Haas Racing. This also was Ford's first Xfinity victory of the year. Jesse Love scored his second runner-up finish in the last three races. Ross Chastain won a stage and placed third. Connor Zilisch finished fourth after winning the opening stage and overcoming an extra pit stop to tighten a wheel. Zilisch had won the past three series races. Harrison Burton completed the top five, earning his second top-five result of the season. Burton moved above the cutline and holds the final playoff spot with four races left in the regular season. Stage 1 winner: Connor Zilisch Stage 2 winner: Ross Chastain Next: The series races at 3 p.m. ET Saturday, Aug. 9 at Watkins Glen International on the CW Network.
