UNC golfer David Ford aims to embody spirit of Arnold Palmer
David Ford never had the chance to meet Arnold Palmer but imagines the two would have been kindred spirits.
Fast friends was a given for anyone meeting the late golfing icon, who was quick with a smile and salutation for anyone crossing his path.
Ford’s exemption into the Arnold Palmer Invitational taps a little deeper into the spirit of the man whose long-standing tournament will be staged this week at Bay Hill Club and Lodge for the eighth time without him.
Each year the Arnold Palmer Cup awards a spot into the API voted on by the players.
“I was lucky enough to be voted in by my peers,” the University of North Carolina junior told the Orlando Sentinel. “I know a lot of people in the world of golf and I’ve done a good job at making friendships with them.”
Ford’s humility, along with his ability to forge meaningful relationships and practice random acts of kindness, are straight out of Palmer’s playbook.
“It’s a huge compliment to be voted as one who embodies some of the qualities that Mr. Palmer had,” Ford said. “The biggest thing that comes to mind is the way he treated people. It didn’t matter if you were a fan or it was your first Tour event or you were in the Hall of Fame, he talked to you intentionally and he treated you the same as everybody else and wanted to know about you.
“That’s the best and most appealing quality that he embodied.”
Ford strives to display those qualities both as a golfer and a devout Christian.
The native of Georgia was encouraged to attend church along with his twin brother Matthew but developed a deeper commitment to Jesus Christ with the help of some teammates at UNC.
“My faith didn’t really come into the picture until I got to college,” he said.
A primary influence and inspiration was former teammate Will Kane, who will caddie for Ford this week.
Kane’s involvement with the organization College Golf Fellowship also helped facilitate a practice round Tuesday with world No. 1 Scottie Scheffler, the 2022 API champion.
Scheffler is familiar with the ins and outs of Bay Hill’s challenging layout and a ball-striking machine, who leads the PGA Tour hitting 80.37% of greens in regulation.
“I’ve heard he is,” Ford said. “We’ll see, though. I’ll have to let you know.”
Ford is not short of confidence and has a golf game to back it up.
The lefty’s career scoring average of 70.22 is tops in school history and includes several rounds of 62, including a transcendent day at historic Seminole Golf Club in Juno Beach during the 2022 Jackson T. Stephens Cup.
“Seminole was a special one,” he said.
This week is sure to have special moments at every turn.
Ford will see some familiar faces in Nick Dunlap, who left Alabama for the PGA Tour after winning in January, and world No. 11 Ludvig Aberg, who was among the top players in college golf at Texas Tech before turning pro in the fall of 2023.
“Having them in the field is good for the comfort factor,” Ford said.
The 21-year-old also will be amid every top player on the Tour during one of its signature events.
A field of just 71 players, down from 120 in recent years, was announced Monday. Included beyond Ford are the top 50 from the 2022-23 FedEx Cup standings, the next 10 players based on the current standings, five players who earned the most points during the past two weeks, four sponsor exemptions and Dunlap as a 2024 tournament winner
Having played every major amateur event and two PGA Tour stops — the Barbasol Championship and the RSM Classic in 2023 — Ford doesn’t anticipate he’ll be star-struck or intimidated but will be undeniably grateful.
“Just being out here is cool … learning from all of them and taking little bits and pieces from all their games,” he said. “Score is pretty irrelevant this week. I’m just trying to get my game in as good a shape as I can the next few days and then just have a ton of fun.”
Edgar Thompson can be reached at egthompson@orlandosentinel.com.
