David Ford shot a third-round 2-under 70 to jump into the top 15 heading into the final round of the DP World Tour's Dubai Desert Classic.

At 6-under overall, Ford is tied with notable names like Rory McIlroy, Robert MacIntyre, and Min Woo Lee.

Arizona State senior Preston Summerhays shot a third-round 3-over 75 to fall to even par and T60 after making the cut with opening rounds of 71-70.

SECOND ROUND RECAP

UNC Senior David Ford and Arizona State senior Preston Summerhays have made the most of their exemptions into the DP World Tour's Dubai Desert Classic, shooting 4-under and 3-under through two rounds and securing two weekend tee times.

Ford started the second round as the co-leader and birdied his first hole to get to 8-under, but some early troubles saw him start 3-over through five holes. He made two more bogeys on holes No. 9 and 12, but he did steady the ship and birdie holes No. 13 and 14 to comfortably make the cut. He is currently T23.

Summerhays was consistent through the first two rounds, shooting 70-71 to get to 3-under, and is currently T33. He made four birdies and three bogeys in his second round.

FIRST ROUND RECAP

UNC senior David Ford made quite a splash in his opening round at the Dubai Desert Classic.

The UNC senior shot a 65 and holds the lead after the first round. The day started perfectly, as he rolled home a long eagle putt on his opening hole - the tenth - at Emirates GC. He also ripped off five straight birdies from hole Nos. 16 to 2 as he made the turn.

The first three birdies in that cluster were all due to excellent iron play, as he didn't have a putt longer than 15 feet. Then, on the first, after short siding himself in some gnarly rough, he chipped in and then capped off the string of birdies with a shot to five feet for the final birdie.

"It was great," Ford said after the round. "I got a couple putts to fall that I didn't know were going to go in hit a lot of good iron shots. I love where the pins were set up today. I felt like a lot of them fit my eye."

After 11 holes, Ford was 7-under and cruised home with seven straight pars. The only blemish on his card was a bogey on the par-3 15th.

While this start is a bit of a surprise, Ford is coming off an excellent fall at UNC, where he climbed the PGA Tour U rankings to the No. 1 spot after winning his last two events in the fall. That's what earned him an exemption in this event. 

"I try to keep my expectations low. I know where my game is at right now, and I have got a lot of people around me believing in me, which is really helpful going into this week. I just tried to have fun," Ford said. "Just come out here and do the preparation that I do for college events and just keep everything really simple and keep having fun."

A year to the week that Nick Dunlap won the AmEx there is another amateur reminding everyone how deep the pool is right now in the amateur game. A win on the DP World Tour would be a bit different than a win on the PGA Tour, but Ford isn't getting ahead of himself.

"The plan right now is to turn pro in May after the National Championship," he said. "Things could change. But yeah, right now, from the outside looking in, I think just planning to turn pro in May. Until then, just play a lot of golf, hang out with the team, and have a lot of fun."

The senior at North Carolina has previously played in three PGA TOUR events.

PREVIEW

David Ford has earned an exemption into the DP World Tour's Hero Dubai Desert Classic from Jan. 16 to 19, 2025, at Emirates Golf Club.

Ford earned the exemption by finishing the fall portion of the collegiate golf schedule ranked No. 1 in the PGA TOUR University rankings. This is the fourth consecutive year the top-ranked player has been invited to play in the Rolex Series event.

"I am honored and humbled to receive this opportunity to play in my first DP World Tour event at the Hero Dubai Desert Classic in January," Ford said in a press release. "Thank you to the Hero Dubai Desert Classic, DP World Tour, and PGA TOUR University for the chance to compete alongside the top talents in the world and further develop my game."

Ford moved into the top spot in the PGA TOUR University rankings after winning consecutive starts in the Ben Hogan Collegiate Invitational and the Williams Cup. The Hogan win at Colonial Country Club also provided Ford an exemption into the 2025 Charles Schwab Challenge.

"We're thrilled to welcome David to the 2025 Hero Dubai Desert Classic, continuing our proud tradition of giving elite amateurs the chance to compete in a top-tier event early in their careers," said Simon Corkill, executive director of the Hero Dubai Desert Classic.

Corkill said, "I had the pleasure of watching David at the 2023 Eisenhower Trophy in Abu Dhabi, and I was thoroughly impressed. His sublime closing round of 8-under-par 64 played a crucial role in securing an 11-stroke victory for the U.S. team. The entire team at the Hero Dubai Desert Classic is excited to see him in action once again as he takes on the Majlis Course alongside a stellar field, including our four-time champion Rory McIlroy."

Preston Summerhays of Arizona State will also be in the field this week with Ford. 

Summerhays will tee off at 10:15 p.m. ET Wednesday night in Dubai with Manuel Elvira and Jacques Kruyswijk, and Ford will tee off at 2:35 a.m. ET Thursday morning with Jason Scrivener and Ivan Cantero.