Jones Cup: North Carolina's David Ford and Peter Fountain set early pace

January 6, 2023 | by Jim Young of AmateurGolf.com

David Ford (UNC Athletics photo)

Tar Heel teammates running 1-2 after first round at Sea Island

There is plenty of Carolina Blue at the top of the leaderboard after the first round of the Jones Cup at Ocean Forest Golf Club on Sea Island, Ga.

North Carolina teammates David Ford and Peter Fountain hold down the top two spots after carding opening rounds of 67 and 68, respectively, in the first major tournament of 2023, which consistently attracts one of the deepest fields of the year to the coastal Georgia layout.

Gordon Sargent

Beginning his round on the par 5 10th hole, Ford quickly made amends for an opening bogey with birdies on holes 12, 13 and 14 to move to 2-under for his round. After giving a stroke back at the par 4 15th, the Southern Amateur champion played his final 12 holes at 4-under to sign for an opening round 67.

Fountain, a junior at Chapel Hill who won the 2021 ACC individual championship, birdied three of his final five holes for an opening round 68.

"I didn't hit it super well but I feel I made just about everything I looked at," said Fountain, who one putted eight of his last 10 greens en route to his 68. U.S. Amateur runner-up Ben Carr and Auburn commit Jackson Koivun are two back of Ford after turning in rounds of 70 while Elite Amateur Cup series winner Caleb Surratt is tied for fifth at 1-under par.

A third Tar Heel, Western Amateur champion Austin Greaser, is part of a large pack at even par.

NCAA men's individual champion Gordon Sargent, who yesterday received a special invitation to play in the upcoming Masters Tournament, carded a 1-over round of 73 while defending Jones Cup champion Palmer Jackson of Notre Dame opened with a 74, as did U.S. Mid-Amateur champion Matthew McClean.

McClean is one of nine players in the field who are under consideration for Great Britain & Ireland's Walker Cup team.

The Jones Cup champion boasts an impressive list of past champions, including PGA Tour winners D.J. Trahan (2001), Luke List (2007), Kyle Stanley (2009), Patrick Reed (2010), Justin Thomas (2012) and Corey Conners (2014).

Results: Jones Cup

Place	Player	Location	Pts	Scores
1	David Ford	Peachtree Corners, GA	1200	67-68-69=204
2	Caleb Surratt	Indian Trail, NC	900	71-66-68=205
3	Michael Brennan	Leesburg, VA	700	72-69-67=208
4	Peter Fountain	Raleigh, NC	700	68-71-71=210
5	Tommy Kuhl	Morton, IL	700	72-69-70=211

View full results for Jones Cup

About the Jones Cup

Jones Cup: North Carolina's David Ford and Peter Fountain set early pace

The Jones Cup is probably the biggest of the springtime amateur majors in the United States, and the reason is the venue and the strong U.S. and international field. The past champions list is littered with PGA Tour stars, including Justin Thomas, Pa...