PGA Tour U: David Ford becomes the third player to sit atop the rankings

October 31, 2024 | by Sean Melia of AmateurGolf.com

David Ford (North Carolina Athletics Photo)

Back-to-back wins launch the Tar Heels in the No. 1 slot as Brendan Valdes of Auburn slips to third.

David Ford became the third player this fall to sit atop the PGA Tour University rankings. After Arizona State’s Preston Summerhays opened the season as the leader, Auburn’s Brendan Valdes took the top spot in October.

The North Carolina star from Peachtree Corners, Georgia, has had an incredible fall. In September, he was ranked eighth, and at the start of October, Ford was ranked sixth. A win at the Ben Hogan Invitational moved him up to second, and then another win in the Williams Cup sealed the deal and moved him to the top.

Ford is ranked No. 6 in the Golfweek/AmateurGolf.com World Rankings.

Aside from the two wins, Ford finished T8 at the Sahalee Players Championship and a T6 in the Fighting Illini. Overall, since the start of his junior year, when he started earning points, Ford has three total wins and five top-ten finishes.

After losing Dylan Menante, Peter Fountain, and Austin Greaser to graduation last year, Ford was handed the reigns of the team. He has proved himself as a leader for the Tar Heels and has the team ranked seventh in the Scoreboard/Clippd rankings.

The player who finishes in the top spot of the PGA Tour U rankings at the end of the National Championship in May will earn a PGA Tour Card.

Top Ten Rankings:

1. David Ford - UNC - 1126.2416
2. Jose Luis Ballester - ASU - 1073.1568
3. Brendan Valdes - Auburn - 1060.8847
4. Preston Summerhays - ASU - 1050.3926
5. Omar Morales- UCLA - 1043.4752
6. Jackson Buchanan - Illinois - 1003.5930
7. Jackson Van Paris - Vanderbilt - 997.9293
8. Ian Gilligan - Florida - 983.7381
9. Sebastian Moss - Louisville - 960.8405
10. Algot Kleen - LSU - 937.8741

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