David Ford and Preston Summerhays make it to the DP World Tour Dubai Desert Classic

David Ford and Preston Summerhays make it to the DP World Tour Dubai Desert Classic

David Ford is ranked No. 1 on the PGA Tour U. (Photo by North Carolina Athletics)

UNC senior David Ford and Arizona State senior Preston Summerhays made the most of their exemptions at the DP World Tour’s Dubai Desert Classic, shooting 4-under and 3-under in two rounds and securing two tee times over the weekend.

Ford started the second round as co-leader and birdied his first hole to move to 8-under, but some early problems led to him starting 3-over through five holes. He made two more bogeys at holes Nos. 9 and 12, but he steadied the ship and birdied holes Nos. 13 and 14 to comfortably make the cut. He is currently T23.

Summerhays performed consistently through the first two rounds, shooting 70-71 to move to 3-under and is currently T33. In his second round he made four birdies and three bogeys.

Ford is currently ranked No. 11 in the Golfweek/AmateurGolf.com world rankings and Summerhays is ranked No. 10.

The cut falls to even par or 1-under when golfers complete their rounds.

FIRST ROUND SUMMARY

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

The UNC senior shot a 65 and is in the lead after the first round. The day started perfectly when he hit a long eagle putt on his first hole – the tenth – at Emirates GC. He also made five straight birdies from holes No. 16 to 2 when he made the turn.

The first three birdies in this group were all thanks to Iron’s excellent play as he didn’t have a putt longer than 15 feet. Then, the first time, after briefly standing on his side in gnarly rough, he chipped in and then capped the string of birdies with a shot to five feet for the final birdie.

“It was great,” Ford said after the round. “I had a few putts in front of me that I didn’t know were going in and hit a lot of good iron shots. I like the placement of the pins today. I felt like a lot of them fit my eye.”

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

While this start is somewhat surprising, Ford has had an excellent fall at UNC, where he climbed to No. 1 in the PGA Tour U rankings after winning his last two events of the fall. In this case, that earned him an exemption.

“I try to keep my expectations low. I know where my game is at right now and I have a lot of people around me who believe in me, which is really helpful going into this week. “I just tried to have fun.” Ford said. “Just come here and prepare like I do for college events, just keep it simple and keep having fun.”

In the very week that Nick Dunlap won the AmEx, there’s another amateur reminding everyone how deep the pool currently is in the amateur game. A win on the DP World Tour would be a little different than a win on the PGA Tour, but Ford can’t get ahead of himself.

“The current plan is to turn pro in May after the national championship,” he said. “Things could change. But yeah, at the moment I think from the outside looking in, I’m just planning on turning pro in May. Until then, just play a lot of golf, spend time with the team and have a lot of fun.” “

The senior from North Carolina has previously competed in three PGA TOUR events.

PREVIEW

David Ford has secured an exemption for the DP World Tour’s Hero Dubai Desert Classic from January 16-19, 2025 at the Emirates Golf Club.

Ford earned the exemption by completing the fall portion of the collegiate golf program ranked No. 1 in the PGA TOUR University Rankings. This is the fourth consecutive year that the highest ranked player has been invited to compete in the Rolex Series event.

“I am honored and honored to have the opportunity to compete in my first DP World Tour event at the Hero Dubai Desert Classic in January,” Ford said in a press release. “Many thanks to the Hero Dubai Desert Classic, DP World Tour and PGA TOUR University for the opportunity to compete with the best talent in the world and develop my game.”

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

“We are delighted to welcome David to the Hero Dubai Desert Classic 2025, continuing our proud tradition of giving elite amateurs the chance to compete in a high-profile event early in their careers,” said Simon Corkill, Managing Director of Hero Dubai desert classic.

Corkill said: “I had the pleasure of watching David compete in the 2023 Eisenhower Trophy in Abu Dhabi and I was deeply impressed. His great final round of 8 under par 64 played a crucial role in securing an 11-shot victory for him.” The entire Hero Dubai Desert Classic team looks forward to seeing him in action again as he joins an outstanding field of competitors, including our four-time champion Rory McIlroy.”

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

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