North Carolina's Ford wins Haskins Award
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USA Today
02-07-2025
- USA Today
Young guns: Golf's influx of youthful talent is on full display at 2025 John Deere Classic
As Americans spend this weekend celebrating the birth of their nation, long referred to as the "Land of Opportunity," several of the world's best golfers have descended upon what could be billed as golf's very own land of opportunity: The John Deere Classic. Held at TPC Deere Run in Moline, Illinois, the JDC has produced 24 first-time winners since 1970 — the most of any tournament on the PGA Tour. Roger Maltbie nabbed his first career victory at the John Deere Classic in 1975. David Toms did the same 22 years later. Then there's Jordan Spieth, who, at 19 years old, was granted a sponsor's exemption to compete in the 2013 John Deere Classic. He holed out from a greenside bunker on the final hole to force a playoff against David Hearn and hometown hero Zach Johnson, which Spieth went on to win. Twelve years and 13 wins later, that legendary shot still belongs near the top of Spieth's long highlight reel. The PGA Tour's stop in the Quad Cities is often overlooked in golf circles — chalked up as the event for players who need FedEx Cup points while others enjoy a holiday weekend at home. But there's no denying that the John Deere Classic has historically served as a breeding ground for the game's biggest stars. Jackson Koivun, who is No. 1 in the World Amateur Golf Rankings, is in the field at TPC Deere Run this week as a sponsor's exemption. As a freshman at Auburn, Koivun became the first player to win all four major men's collegiate honors in the same year: The Haskins Award, the Jack Nicklaus Award, the Ben Hogan Award, and the Phil Mickelson Award. He's the perfect candidate to reinforce the narrative that the John Deere Classic is a launching pad for the game's future stars. "Obviously, it's really cool to have a bunch of sponsors' exemptions and amateurs play well here," Koivun said in a press conference Wednesday. "It just shows that it's doable. Just got to keep that in the back of my mind and trust my game and myself." Other young guns in this week's field — like 2025 Haskins Award winner David Ford, 2025 NCAA Individual Champion Michael La Sasso, and 2025 Ping All-American Ben James — fit the bill, too. It's a brotherhood of youthful talent. "We're all really good friends. That's definitely something that's cool," Koivun said. "We definitely compete against each other a lot, but it's definitely friendly competition. Me and La Sasso, we live about 20 minutes from each other in North Carolina, so we play a lot of golf together. Ben is an awesome dude. We've played a lot of tournaments together and going back even into junior golf. So there is definitely a sense of camaraderie there." It's a sign of the times in a game that seems to be getting younger by the day. Aldrich Potgieter, a 20-year-old from South Africa, won the Rocket Classic just days ago. "It shows just how golf has kind of changed in the past few years," Koivun said. "I mean, I look at junior golfers and I'm like, 'Wow, these kids are really good.' Even though I was a junior golfer three years ago. It's crazy the leap they've made." Just ask Johnson, the 49-year-old Iowan who is making his 23rd consecutive appearance at the John Deere Classic this week. "We've got athletes playing this game at a young age that could probably go a different direction in sports, but this sport grabbed them, for good measure, because it is awesome," Johnson said. "It's daunting, it's scary, but it's fantastic, if that makes sense. As a competitor, as an athlete out here, the youth of this game is impressive." Similar to Johnson, the John Deere Classic is also a home game of sorts for Koivun. He grew up in North Carolina, but his father is a Quad Cities native. "[There's] a sense of familiarity here," Koivun said. "We got a little bit of family still left in these areas, so it's nice to be able to come back. Obviously, my dad grew up here, so he's got a lot of friends from high school days here, so hopefully I'll get a little nice crowd around here." Koivun is making his fourth PGA Tour start this year. He made the cut at the Farmers Insurance Open (T-56) in January and the Arnold Palmer Invitational (T-48) before missing the cut by just one stroke at the U.S. Open. This week, he's "not trying to have too many expectations," but in golf's land of opportunity, anything is possible. "I feel like my game suits this golf course pretty well. I mean, years past you just need to make a lot of birdies out here to play well, so if I can get that putter hot, I'll feel pretty good about myself."
Yahoo
27-06-2025
- Yahoo
John Deere Classic 2025: Full field for TPC Deere Run, including plenty of potential stars
The PGA Tour's annual stop in Silvis, Illinois, will kickoff July 3 at TPC Deere Run. Here's a look at the initial field, which includes defending champion Davis Thompson and a host of potential stars in Luke Clanton, NCAA champ Michael La Sasso, Jackson Koivun, Haskins winner David Ford, Gordon Sargent, Preston Summerhays and Brendan Valdes.
Newsweek
05-06-2025
- Newsweek
PGA Tour Rookie Honored by UNC Legends, and Hilariously Bill Belichick
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. 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. — 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
