UNC senior wins PGA Tour University, earns Tour card for remainder of the season

David Ford, a senior from the University of North Carolina Men's Golf team, has finished in first place on the PGA Tour University 2025. As a result, he has secured a tour card for the remainder of the 2025 season and 2026.

The 22-year-old David Ford has had a successful junior golf career, with several phenomenal victories. In 2020, he claimed the Junior Players Championship title, the Bobby Chapman Junior Invitational and the Rolex Tournament of Champions. In 2022, he won the Southern Amateur, and last year, he clinched the title at the Ben Hogan Collegiate Invitational and the prestigious Williams Cup.

According to the PGA Tour University rules, the golfer who finishes in first place in the final university rankings and has the most accumulated points, earns an official tour card. The player will also be eligible for open, full-field PGA TOUR events.

This year, Ford emerged in first place with a total of 1214.0040 points. The PGA Tour University announced the win with a tweet that read:

“A 5-win senior season locks up the Number 1 spot! @UNCmensGolf's David Ford has secured a @PGATOUR card as the top player in the Class of 2025. #TOURBound”

Here’s a look at the post announcing Ford's victory:

According to Goheels, David Ford is in the running for the Hogan, Haskins, and Nicklaus National Player of the Year awards. He also holds the career record for the most UNC wins, which stands at seven.

Notably, the Peachtree Corners-native is the fifth player to emerge in first place from the PGA Tour University since the program was introduced in 2020. Last year, Michael Thorbjornsen finished in first place, and the year before that, it was Ludvig Aberg.

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Who are the players in the top-10 spots on the PGA Tour University rankings?

While only the No. 1 player in the PGA Tour University rankings gets a tour card, players in the top positions do receive other benefits. Per the PGA Tour website, players who finish in the top-10 spots will be eligible for Korn Ferry Tour memberships and will be exempt into all open, full-field Korn Ferry Tour events.

Players in the top-five spots can also play as non-members in any number of PGA Tour events in the current season and the following season. They will also be eligible to play in the final stage of the PGA TOUR Q-School presented by Korn Ferry during the current season.

Here’s a look at the golfers who made it to the top-10 on the rankings list:

• David Ford (1214.0040 points)
• Brendan Valdes (1104.2584)
• Ian Gilligan (1053.5086 points)
• Jackson Van Paris (1051.4181 points)
• Jose Luis Ballester Barrio (1032.6425 points)
• Omar Morales (1011.1618 points)
• Sebastian Moss (997.7190 points)
• Preston Summerhays (995.7507 points)
• Algot Kleen (968.7325 points)
• Phichaksn Maichon (963.0311 points)