David Ford notched his third win of the season Tuesday at the Valspar Collegiate, but it came with an unusual twist. The North Carolina senior claimed victory in a tournament where his twin brother Maxwell finished dead last.
David dominated the loaded field, which featured 11 of the country’s top 25 teams. He fired a blistering 15 under par over the final 36 holes to finish at 18 under, two shots clear of Oklahoma’s Jase Summy and Texas’ Daniel Bennett, who tied for second.
It’s believed to be the first time in NCAA history that siblings — let alone twins — have finished both first and last in the same tournament. Maxwell ended up solo 92nd in the 92-player field, a remarkable 43 shots behind his brother.
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While David’s individual performance was stellar, the eighth-ranked Tar Heels struggled as a team. North Carolina finished 11th, a distant 30 shots behind team champion Texas. The disappointing result wasn’t surprising given three UNC players placed outside the top 60.
David’s victory puts him in a tie for second-most wins this season with St. John’s Peiching Chen and Longwood’s Justin LaRue. They all trail Utah Valley’s Dane Huddleston, who has four wins. Ford’s consistency has been impressive — he’s posted three other top-8 finishes and hasn’t finished worse than T-19 all season.
That stellar play has Ford ranked No. 1 nationally, making him the clear frontrunner for the Haskins Award, college golf’s player of the year honor.
Florida State junior Luke Clanton continued his strong play with a solo seventh-place finish at 10 under. Clanton was fresh off a T-42 showing at the PGA Tour’s Valspar Championship last week.
In the team competition, Texas claimed the title, with Florida State taking third. Oklahoma and Auburn rounded out the top five, with Duke finishing sixth. Vanderbilt, playing just their third tournament in four years without star Gordon Sargent in the lineup, placed ninth.
