JUNO BEACH, Fla. – David Ford has logged many memorable rounds in his younger however accolade-laden beginner profession.
His spherical Monday at iconic Seminole Golf Membership, although, has probably trumped all of them.
The North Carolina sophomore was not lengthy faraway from signing the scorecard for his unbelievable 10-under 62 within the second spherical of the Jackson T. Stephens Cup, so he didn’t have a lot time to suppose. However likelihood is sturdy he’ll be preserving the golf ball from this one.
“This one is likely to be the perfect spherical I’ve ever performed simply contemplating how nervous I used to be,” Ford mentioned. “I had plenty of lengthy waits out on the course, there have been some rulings in entrance of me, so I had plenty of time to suppose, and I feel I dealt with myself and the nerves nicely and obtained a low rating out of it.”
The ACC Freshman of the Yr nervous? Ford and his fellow Tar Heels had it cruising early and infrequently throughout Monday’s marathon day the place a lot of the sphere obtained 36 holes in. However Ford didn’t catch fireplace till the par-5 ninth gap.
He had simply missed 4 straight 12-footers, the primary three for birdie and the one at No. 9 for eagle. That’s when he birdied No. 10, and No. 11, too.
“That one actually obtained me going,” Ford mentioned.
One other fourth straight birdie adopted, and Ford, now within the lead, was greeted by tv cameras when he arrived on the tee field on the par-3 13th gap.
As he waited quarter-hour for a teammate forward to get a ruling, Ford’s abdomen began to churn and his legs obtained just a little wobbly.
“I knew I used to be on Golf Channel and so I figured my telephone could also be blowing up; that was the thought behind my thoughts,” Ford mentioned. “I used to be fairly nervous as a result of I used to be hitting it nice, however I left so many on the market, and it wasn’t like scary, however I used to be like, ‘Holy cow,’ I’m 7 or 8 underneath and I missed 4 12-footers in a row in the course of the spherical.”
So, what did he do subsequent? He stuffed the tee shot and rolled in a fifth straight birdie. When the torrid stretch was over, Ford had rattled off eight straight birdies.
And he all of a sudden had the course report in his sights.
“I had no thought,” Ford mentioned when requested if he knew what Seminole’s finest mark was. “Have you learnt?”
Claude Harmon shot 60 in 1947.
Ben Hogan, seven years later, carded a 61.
Two birdies, on Nos. 17 and 18, would tie Ford with Harmon. One would equal Hogan’s rating.
Ford, who parred the penultimate gap, left himself about 10 ft for birdie on the final for 61. It didn’t drop.
“It wasn’t meant to be,” mentioned Ford, who at 14 underneath leads Arkansas’ Julian Perico by six pictures, as North Carolina is 17 away from the sphere because it seems to punch its ticket to Wednesday’s match-play last.
“I gave it every part I had on that final putt. If the course report is 60, I assume I didn’t break it.”
Nonetheless, what a spherical for Ford, nervous or not, to speak about for the remainder of his life.