David Ford didn’t just climb the amateur ranks; he commanded them. Now, with one of the most complete amateur careers in recent memory behind him, the North Carolina standout is set to turn pro. He’ll make his professional debut this week at the Charles Schwab Challenge, fittingly held at Colonial Country Club, the same course where he won the Ben Hogan Collegiate Invitational last fall.

“This course is pure, maybe the most difficult one I’ve won at,” Ford told PGA TOUR University. “It’s just a nice opportunity to have a tee time with the best players in the world. They do a lot of things well but they get it done in different ways.”

That win was one of five he picked up during his senior year at North Carolina, part of a four-year run that saw him tie the school record with seven career victories, break the program record for career scoring average (70.13), and lead the Tar Heels to 17 team titles, including an ACC Championship and three straight NCAA top-five finishes. No Tar Heel has ever put together a run like it; not Davis Love III, not Dustin Bray, not Austin Greaser.

Ford’s rise hasn't just been about college golf. He’s been winning big-time amateur events for years. He took the 2022 Southern Amateur in wire-to-wire fashion and drained a 20-footer on the final green to win the 2023 Jones Cup, earning exemptions into PGA TOUR events along the way. He played on winning Walker Cup, Palmer Cup, and World Amateur Team squads. In match play, he’s always a tough out. He’s 10-4 in college and the kind of guy you want with a point on the line. He clinched the Walker Cup at St Andrews with a clutch birdie on 16.

Ford’s game travels to the professional ranks. He made the cut at the 2023 Barbasol Championship, got into the RSM Classic, and played in the 2024 Arnold Palmer Invitational, thanks to a vote from his Palmer Cup teammates, recognizing him for his values as much as his ball striking. But he's looking for much more than a single made cut in three events.

“Yeah I think the biggest thing I’ve learned from the past tour events is all about getting comfortable,” Ford said ahead of the Charles Schwab Challenge. “I know I can play. I know I can compete. I have a lot of trust and belief in my own golf game. But yeah, it’s just about getting comfortable, and I think if you look at some of the scores in those [pro] events that I shot, there were times where I was very uncomfortable. As much as this week is amazing and cool and shiny, I think I’m trying to get comfortable. I’m leaning on the experience that I’ve had in events in the past to make that gap a little easier.”

Ford got better every year. He posted 66 rounds in the 60s, finished 162-under par for his college career, and set the single-season UNC record for scoring average (68.78) this past season. In 2025 alone, he went 25 rounds in the 60s and beat fields stacked with top-25 teams.

As his collegiate career closes, it’s not just the accolades or titles Ford reflects on, it’s the camaraderie.

“I think just being with the guys is really sweet, and having banter in the practice rounds… The conversations we have, the memories we have, it’s just nice to have people to bounce ideas off of,” he told PGA TOUR U. “I’m definitely going to miss it.”

His final college event, however, didn’t go to script. At the NCAA Urbana Regional, North Carolina, ranked No. 10 nationally, got off to a sluggish start and couldn’t recover. Ford shot rounds of 73-67-69 to finish 4-under, solid by most standards, but it left him six shots behind Michigan’s Hunter Thomson, who earned the solo individual qualifying spot for nationals. UNC finished sixth as a team, eight shots short of the top five cutline. It was a tough end to an otherwise historic career.

Even with the early exit, Ford’s work over the past few years has kept him firmly atop the PGA TOUR University standings. While the results of the national championship still count in the standings, Ford remains in position to secure the top spot, which comes with PGA TOUR status for the rest of 2025 and all of 2026, even if Auburn’s Brendan Valdes, currently No. 2, makes a run as an individual contender in Carlsbad. Ford is in the field this week on a sponsor's exemption.

Ford built a complete amateur career. He stacked good weeks, closed tournaments, and showed up every time the field got stronger. Now he’s stepping into a different arena. But if the last four years are any clue, he won’t be out of place. He belongs with the pros.

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