Injuries threatened to derail David Ford’s senior year, yet UNC star is now early POY favorite

With another hard-earned college trophy in hand and two-and-a-half-hour commute back to campus in the books, David Ford’s night wasn’t done.

He still had time to squeeze in an hourlong worship event with some friends – and a slice of pecan pie and ice cream.

“I think that was my first time in quite a while eating more than 20 grams of sugar in one sitting,” Ford said.

The North Carolina senior has experienced a rush of standout play this fall, winning twice, including his second straight Williams Cup on Tuesday, and not finishing worse than eighth in four starts for the Tar Heels. He’s cemented himself as an early contender for national player of the year while boosting his chances of earning a PGA Tour card next summer through PGA Tour University.

Sweetening the success is a healthy dose of perspective: Just a few months ago, Ford was unsure just how much an ailing back and left hip would allow him to play, and at what level.

“I didn’t know what I was going to do in the fall,” Ford said. “I was pretty uncertain about my body and kind of had nothing working for me on the golf course, either.”

Ford, who has battled back and hip issues for a few years yet still ascended to the top 3 of the World Amateur Golf Ranking, uncharacteristically struggled last spring, posting six finishes outside the top 25. The pain worsened this summer, and Ford not only logged just three individual tournaments, but he only managed a best finish of T-24 at the Southern Amateur, where even then he threw together four uninspiring 68s.

“My mind wasn’t smart enough at that time,” Ford said. “I got into this mindset where I really wasn’t working hard and didn’t want to do all the little things well. As the frustration grew from how bad I was playing and how bad my body felt, I realized that I was either going to work really hard to try and get out of that slump or I was going to stay there.”

Ford saw a few doctors and gained more knowledge about his body. He avoided surgery and instead adjusted his workouts with his trainer, Eric Fernandez, to better manage his pain, focusing more on his glutes, hamstrings, adductors and shoulders. He also got more serious about his diet, cutting out more of the unhealthy stuff – OK, so he deserves some sweets every now and then – in favor of more meats, veggies, fruits and good grains. More time in the chipping area didn’t hurt, either.

“Just trying to let all those little wins add up,” Ford said.

Though he’s not entirely solved his injury woes, Ford does know that he’s seeing – and feeling – improvement.

“Functionally, I can play golf,” Ford said. “The reason why the pain is there is somewhat uncertain, but functionally, I should be playing golf, and that was just really helpful for my confidence. … I feel like I can now sustain my body.”

The results have followed, and quickly. Ford tied for eighth on a tight Sahalee layout to open the fall before sharing sixth at Olympia Fields, where a closing 72 kept him from challenging Arizona State’s Josele Ballester for the win. He locked in on his speed putting and hitting more greens entering the Ben Hogan Collegiate at Colonial, and this time he topped another strong field by three shots.

Ford has owned Eagle Point Golf Club in Wilmington, North Carolina, site of the Williams Cup, with finishes of second, second and first his first three years, and that trend continued with a one-shot triumph over Arizona State’s Connor Williams. With Ford leading the way, North Carolina, thought to be in rebuilding mode after losing three All-Americans, notched its first win of the season, a victory that bumped the Tar Heels to seventh in the national rankings.

Ford is second in the country, though No. 1 Daniel Bennett of Texas has played just one stroke-play event (Colonial, where he lost to Ford by four), and is projected to move to No. 1 in PGA Tour U once the Williams Cup is added for next Wednesday’s update.

Ford knows individual accolades like PGA Tour U have the potential to distract.

“It’s a great opportunity,” Ford said, “but whether or not I think about it on the course isn’t going to matter. It’s not one of those things that the more I think about it the better it’s going to make me. It’s actually the opposite.”

So, Ford will continue to focus on what he can control: Playing smarter, practicing harder, getting better physically, limiting the pecan pie…

And hoping all those little things continue to add up.