Maxwell Ford Joins Men's Golf Program

Maxwell Ford, who finished tied for 18^th in the 2023 NCAA Men's Golf Championship and is No. 52 in the World Amateur Golf Rankings, is transferring to the University of North Carolina after two seasons at the University of Georgia.

Ford, a rising junior from Peachtree Corners, Ga., averaged 71.49 strokes over 70 rounds as a Bulldog.

"I'm super excited to join the golf family at the University of North Carolina," says Ford. "The golf program obviously has been very successful recently, and I am excited to be a part of that in the future. Coach (Andrew) DiBitetto has helped create a culture that brings out the best in every player. In addition, the players are committed to excellence on and off the course, and I look forward to being pushed to be the best version of myself over the next two years. I also want to thank everyone involved with the University of Georgia golf team and Athletic Association. My time at UGA has been amazing, and I have had so many people help me in my two years as a Bulldog."

This past season he averaged 71.19 and shot a career-low 64, one of his nine rounds in the 60s. He finished third in the Ka'anapali Classic in Maui, when he shot 69-67-64 for a 13-under 200.

Ford had seven top-20 finishes in 12 tournaments as a sophomore. He shot 65 in the second round and tied for 11^th in the NCAA regional in Bath, Mich., at 4-under 209, and closed with a fourth-round 69 to tie for 18^th in the NCAA Championship at 1-over 281.

"We are thrilled to add Maxwell Ford to our Carolina family," says UNC head coach Andrew DiBitetto. "He's an elite player and that's important to us. But the character of the people we bring into our program will always be more important and Maxwell is an elite young man. Just like his brother, David, and our other guys, Maxwell is relentless in his pursuit to be the best version of himself. We can't wait to get to work every day with Maxwell and compete with him. He will make us better on and off the course."

As a freshman in 2021-22, Ford earned PING All-Southeast Region and SEC All-Freshman team honors and was named SEC Freshman of the Week three times. He shot a final-round 66 and a 16-under 200 total to finish second in the Puerto Rico Classic. His 16-under 54-hole score to par was the third best in Georgia history. He also finished fourth at 7-under 209 to help the Bulldogs win the Linger Longer Invitational and had Georgia's best finish, a tie for fifth at 3-under 213, in the NCAA Bryan (Texas) Regional to help the Bulldogs advance to the NCAA Championship.

He attended the Rivers Academy in Alpharetta, Ga., where he won individual state championships in 2019 and 2021 and helped Rivers win state team titles in both of those seasons.

As an amateur, Ford won eight junior tournaments, including the 2021 Wyndham Invitational and the 2019 Jones Cup Junior Invitational. He had two top-three finishes in the Dustin Johnson World Junior Championships – second in 2021 and third in 2020. He also was second last year in the Sunnehanna Amateur.

Ford's brother, David, is also a rising junior at Carolina. He was the ACC Player of the Year and a first-team All-America in 2023.

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