David Ford, surrounded by fellow Tar Heels, makes Moving Day charge in Mexico with 2027 status at stake

David Ford is playing for his job this fall, but at El Cardonal at Diamante he at least has familiar faces around him. Ryan Gerard, Ben Griffin and Austin Hitt, fellow former North Carolina Tar Heels, are all in the field at the World Wide Technology Championship.

“Gerard and I played a practice round together on Tuesday,” said Ford after his third-round 67 saw him reach T9 at 14 under. “I think he’s one of the most encouraging guys out here towards other players. … He was a great teammate for the year I had him at UNC, and it’s been nice to have all those guys out here.”

Ford has leaned on them, too.

He said he has talked with them about workouts and how they’ve improved over the years, picking up small things that have helped.

The biggest piece of advice came from Gerard at last year’s The RSM Classic, when Ford, in the middle of a rough season, asked whether he should buy a house.

“He was like, ‘D Ford, just give it a year, just wait and see what happens,’” said Ford. “It really meant a lot because I was kind of stressed about that decision, but he took time and just sat down with me and gave me good advice. I think the world of Gerard. I think he’s super savvy and resourceful outside of golf as well.”

Gerard remembers the conversation with a laugh.

He said he walked Ford through his own home-buying experience, including replacing the air conditioning and calling a plumber multiple times in the first three weeks.

"It isn't all sunshine and daisies, " said Gerard.

Ford ultimately chose to rent with friends at the time. Gerard said he has since heard that Ford and his wife are buying a home a couple of hours outside Atlanta.

“I think he might have not taken my advice because I believe he’s closing on a house or just closed on a house,” Gerard said. “But kid’s got all the game in the world, he’ll be just fine with or without my house-buying advice.”

Ford, just 24 years old, finished No. 1 in the 2025 PGA Tour University Ranking to earn Tour membership but has struggled to put together the consistent results that he produced collegiately at North Carolina.

He entered the week at No. 125 in the FedExCup Fall standings, and a top finish would move him into contention for the top 100 needed to earn full status for 2027.

He opened Saturday’s third round with the kind of start he needed. Ford played his first three holes in 4 under, beginning with an eagle at the par-5 first, the easiest hole this week at the Tiger Woods-designed El Cardonal. He hit a 245-yard approach to inside 8 feet and cashed the putt.

He made just two bogeys the rest of the way en route to a 5-under Moving Day.

The wide fairways at El Cardonal suit his game. Ford is one of the longer hitters in the field and ranks sixth in Strokes Gained: Off-the-Tee, having gained more than four strokes across 54 holes.

Ford’s 2026 regular season was limited to nine starts because of a right ankle injury that sidelined him for nearly five months after the Valero Texas Open in early April. His best finish was a T13 in January at The American Express.

He graded his season as a B, calling it “a good year all things considered.”

His return has picked up this fall, including a T3 at the Bank of Utah Championship, his second career top-10 finish on Tour.

“I’m thankful to be standing here pretty much fully healthy,” said Ford after his final-round 64 at Black Desert Resort in Utah.

Gerard, a senior at UNC when Ford was a freshman, said he has watched Ford’s dedication for years and knows the layoff due to injury was hard on him.

“He’s the kind of kid that just loves to practice, loves to play,” Gerard said. “It can be very frustrating when your body doesn’t line up with what your mind wants to do. … It’s nice to see him feeling better, being more healthy, because he’s a really, really talented player. I’m just excited to see what he could do with a full couple years of no issues.”

The 24-year-old likely needs more results like that to keep full status, with only two events left on the Tour calendar after this week. A win would settle it, but high finishes could do the job, too.

“The goal is to win,” Ford said. “Tomorrow, do as best as I can to win and then the same thing at Austin and (The RSM Classic). I feel like my game is in a spot where I can give it all I’ve got and just see what happens.”