David Ford, Narayan Mohan Join Men’s Golf Program

David Ford of Peachtree Corners, Ga., and Narayan "Nanu" Mohan of Charlotte, N.C., signed National Letters of Intent to attend the University of North Carolina and play golf for head coach Andrew DiBitetto and the Tar Heels.

"The signings of David and Narayan represent another special day for our Carolina Golf family," says DiBitetto, whose Tar Heels have advanced to the NCAA Championship or finished in the top 20 in the national rankings in each of the last four seasons. "We are working to sign student-athletes of the highest quality who are extremely competitive and have a relentless drive to improve and win in all phases of life. We don't want players who just want to be at Carolina. And we don't want young men who only want to win. We want a roster that wants to win here at the University of North Carolina. David and Narayan are the perfect fit and we look forward to doing everything we can to help them reach their goals and dreams.

"I'd like to thank Coach Matt Clark and Scott Grant for their tremendous help with this recruiting class, and recognize David and Narayan's families, especially their amazing and supportive parents who have sacrificed so much to benefit their sons. This is a special day for them, as well."

Ford is No. 2 in the country in the Rolex AJGA and Golfweek rankings, No. 2 in the Class of '21 and the No. 1 junior golfer in Georgia. The son of Karen and Patrick Ford, he earned first-team AJGA All-America honors in 2020 and honorable mention All-America honors in 2019.

"David has already accomplished a lot as one of the top young players in the country, but he has even higher goals for both himself and our team," says DiBitetto. "We are thrilled he chose Carolina to reach his maximum potential and believes our environment is best for him. His golf scores and results speak for themselves, but he's an even better person than player. He's gracious and humble, yet plays with great confidence. His drive and work ethic are unmatched, he loves to compete and always plays with something to prove."

Ford, whose home course is the Atlanta Athletic Club, attends Rivers Academy in Alpharetta, Ga.

A four-time AJGA champion, Ford finished in the top 10 in all seven AJGA events in which he has competed in 2020. Beginning in June, he won the AJGA Wyndham Invitational at Sedgefield in Greensboro, N.C., won the AJGA Junior PLAYERS Championship at TPC Sawgrass, placed third at the PING Invitational at Karsten Creek and won the Bobby Chapman Junior Invitational in a three-way playoff at the Country Club of Spartanburg.

He closed with a 6-under 66 to rally from seven strokes off the lead to win the Junior PLAYERS Championship and shot a second-round 65 to win at Sedgefield.

Also this year, Ford shot 68-69–137 to tie for fifth in stroke play at the 2020 United States Amateur at Bandon Dunes (Ore.), was seventh at the Dustin Johnson World Junior Championship and tied for ninth at the Georgia Amateur.

In 2019, he won the E-Z-GO Vaughn Taylor Championship and had top-10 finishes at the Press Thornton Future Masters (third in his age group), Callaway Golf/Ollie Schniederjans Junior Classic (fourth), Boys Junior PGA Championship (seventh), Rolex Tournament of Champions (seventh) and Jones Cup Junior Invitational (ninth). In 2018, he won the AJGA Junior All-Star at Butte Creek.

"I chose to play college golf at UNC because Andrew DiBitetto, Matt Clark, and the players there are the ones that will push me to get better every day," says Ford. "While I was making my college decision, one big thing I asked myself was, 'Who do I want to win a national championship with?' The people at Carolina are the type of individuals I would be proud to call myself a national champion with and that will be our goal."

Mohan, the son of Sreevidya Velloor and Hrishikesh Mohan, attends the Cannon School in Concord, N.C. As a freshman in 2018, he won the N.C. Independent Schools Athletic Association's 3A state championship and was named the Independent Tribune's 2018 Boys Golfer of the Year.

Mohan was previously ranked as high as seventh in the nation and second in the state in the Class of '21.

Mohan finished second in 2018 in the AJGA KPMG Stacy Lewis Junior All-Star Invitational and the AJGA Judie Oppenheimer Memorial; tied for third at the 2020 Dustin Johnson World Junior Championship, the 2019 Donald Ross Junior Championship and the North Carolina Junior Boys Match Play; and was fourth at the 2019 TYGA Pinehurst High School Invitational, seventh at the 2019 AJGA Rome Junior Classic and ninth at the 2018 Scott Robertson Memorial.

"We love Narayan's story on getting to Carolina," says DiBitetto. "Going back a couple years, he was ranked seventh in the country. Life and golf threw him some curveballs, but his response to adversity, especially for a young person, was amazing. He's remained positive and kept working and grinding. Narayan is talented, gifted, and resilient. He is also one of the brightest students to join the Carolina Golf family. We can't wait to interact with him on a daily basis."

A National Merit Scholarship semifinalist, Mohan is a member of the Rho Kappa (social studies) and Mu Alpha Theta (mathematics) Honor Societies.

In 2014, at age 11, he was named the U.S. Kids Golfer of the Year after finishing fourth in his age group at the U.S. Kids Golf World Championship in Pinehurst, N.C.

"I chose to play for the Tar Heels because Carolina provides the best of everything – the best coaches and teammates, facilities and the best academic experience," says Mohan, whose home course is the Skybrook Golf Club in Huntersville, N.C.

Scoreboard Slider

University of North Carolina Athletics

Related News

Related Videos