2024-25 Men's Golf Roster
Maxwell Ford
- Height:
- 5-11
- Class:
- Senior
- Hometown:
- Peachtree Corners, Ga.
- High School:
- Rivers Academy (Alpharetta, Ga.)
Career Average– 71.82
Best Finish: 2nd, 2021-22 Puerto Rico Classic, 2023-24 Olympia Fields/Fighting Illini Invitational, 2023-24 East Lake Cup
Low Round: 64, 3rd round, 2022-23 Ka’anapali Classic
Low Round to Par: -7, 3rd round, 2022-23 Ka’anapali Classic & 1st round, 2023-24 Amer Ari Invitational
Low 54 Holes: 200, 2021-22 Puerto Rico Classic & 2022-23 Ka’anapali Classic
Low 54 Holes (to par): -16, 2021-22 Puerto Rico Classic
Career: Averaged 71.82 over 139 rounds in 48 collegiate tournaments • Competed 2021-23 at Georgia then transferred to UNC • Played in four NCAA regionals and three NCAA Championships • Shot 34 rounds in the 60s with a low of 64 in the final round of the Ka’anapali Classic Collegiate in Maui as a sophomore • Eight top-five finishes, including second in the Puerto Rico Invitational as a freshman and second at Olympia Fields and East Lake in 2023-24 as a Tar Heel • Won twice and tied another in four matches, earning 2.5 points to help Team USA win the 2024 Palmer Cup at the Lahinch Golf Club in Ireland.
2024-25 at Carolina: Averaged 73.08 in 36 rounds • Tied for third in the Tar Heel Intercollegiate (2-under 208) and tied for fifth in the Williams Cup (5-under 211) • Low rounds of 67 in the second and third rounds in the Amer Ari Invitational • Season-best 12-under 204 at the Amer Ari Invitational • Played Florida State’s Luke Clanton to a draw in the semifinals in the ACC Championship (match was even through 18 but was not finished).
2023-24 at Carolina: Earned All-America and All-ACC honors in his first season as a Tar Heel • Golfweek third-team All-America and honorable mention GCAA/PING • No. 25 in the country in the final Scoreboard ranking, second highest on the team • Academic All-ACC and member of the ACC Academic Honor Roll • Second on the team in stroke average (71.19) and cumulative score to par (-3) • One of two Tar Heels to start all 36 rounds • Went 3-0-1 with one match unfinished in match play • Shot even-par 72 to provide UNC its one point vs. Vanderbilt at The Old Course at St Andrews • Beat Georgia Tech’s Kyle Fontenot on the 22nd hole in the East Lake Cup semifinal • Was tied with FSU’s Luke Clanton when UNC clinched the East Lake Cup championship • Provided the decisive point in the ACC semifinals, a 1-up win over Wake Forest’s Tom Haberer • Was all square with FSU’s Frederik Kjettrup when UNC secure the winning point in the ACC championship match • Overcame an early 3-hole deficit to take a 1-up lead with three to play over Kjettrup in the anchor match in the NCAA quarterfinal when the Seminoles clinched the team point • Shot 26 of his 36 rounds at par or better with a season-best 65 twice • Eagled his first hole as a Tar Heel and shot 67-65 for 8-under 132 to finish second at Olympia Fields • Shot 69 to T2 in stroke play at East Lake and 70-68 at Jubilee for a T9 in the St Andrews Links Collegiate.
2022-2023 at Georgia: Averaged 71.19 strokes over 36 rounds in 12 tournaments • Career-low 64 in the final round of the Ka’anapali Classic Collegiate • Tied for 11th (71-65-73) at 4-under 209 in the NCAA regional as the Bulldogs won the team title and advanced to the NCAA Championship • Shot 71-70-71-69 to tie for 18th in the NCAA Championship in Scottsdale, Ariz., at 1-over 281 • Seven top-20 finishes, including a season-best third in the Ka’anapali Classic Collegiate after shooting 13-under 200 • Named SEC Player of the Week for his performance in Maui • Participated in Georgia’s Leadership Education and Development program.
2021-2022 at Georgia: Earned PING All-Southeast Region and SEC All-Freshman team honors • Averaged 71.79 over 34 rounds • Played in 11 tournaments (stroke play) and the SEC Match Play Championship • Season-low 66 in the final round of the Puerto Rico Classic where he shot 67-67-66 to finish second at 16-under 200 • Score to par was the third best in Georgia history • Team-best tie for fifth at 3-under 213 in the NCAA Bryan (Texas) Regional to help the Bulldogs advance • Opening-round 68 and placed 18th in stroke play in the SEC Championship at even-par 210 • Went 2-1-1 in the fall SEC Match Play Championship, defeating Vanderbilt’s Cole Sherwood 1 up and drawing with LSU’s Cohen Trolio • Played Florida’s Fred Biondi in the SEC Championship quarterfinals – match was all square through 16 when the Gators clinched the team point • Named SEC Freshman of the Week three times after finishing 18th in the Southwestern Invitational, second in Puerto Rico and fourth in the Linger Longer Invitational (7-under 209) • Played in the Patriot All-America in Arizona.
Prep: Graduated from Rivers Academy in Alpharetta, Ga. • Rivers won the 2019 and 2021 GISA AA state titles • Won the 2019 and 2021 GISA AA individual state championships and Region 5-AA titles • Coached by Charlie Anderson.
Amateur: Tied for fourth in stroke play in the 312-player field and won two matches to reach the round of 16 in the 2023 U.S. Amateur (second-round 6-under 66 at Colorado Golf Club) • Four top-15 finishes in the summer of 2023 (T2 at the Dogwood Invitational, T6 at the U.S. Am qualifier in Alpharetta, Ga., T9 at the Northeast Amateur and T12 at the Sunnehanna) • Won the 2021 Wyndham Invitational at Sedgefield Country Club in Greensboro, N.C. • Runner-up in the 2022 Sunnehanna Amateur and the 2021 Dustin Johnson World Junior Championship and the Terra Cotta Invitational • Top 10s in the 2021 U.S. Junior Amateur Championship, the Team TaylorMade Invitational, the AJGA Simplify Boys Championship at Carlton Woods and the Polo Golf Junior Classic at Liberty National • Third in 2020 in the Dustin Johnson World Junior Championship and Georgia Amateur and sixth in the Press Thornton Future Masters • Won the 2019 Jones Cup Junior Invitational, second in the Press Thornton Future Masters and the Ollie Schniederjans Junior Classic, third in the E-Z-GO Vaughn Taylor Championship and fourth in the Wyndham • Won the 2018 Evitt Foundation RTC Junior All-Star, the AJGA Junior All-Star at Cooks Creek and the SJGT’s Chattahoochee Junior Classic, the 2017 Berkeley Hills Junior Classic and Furman Junior Classic and the 2016 Berkeley Hills Junior Classic.
Personal: Born Sept. 14, 2002 • Son of Patrick and Karen Ford • Is a triplet with sister, Abigail, and brother, David, who was a teammate at UNC • His father played golf at Georgia State • Likes to play basketball, ping pong, read the Bible, work out and do anything competitively • Favorite vacation spot is Sea Island, Ga. • Listens to Christian music • Greatest golf achievement was winning the 2021 AJGA Wyndham Invitational • Low round was 61 at the Dothan Country Club in the 2019 Future Masters in Dothan, Ala. • Favorite course is Augusta National • Favorite player is Keith Mitchell • Go-to club under pressure is his driver • Best shot he ever hit was a 4-iron from 235 yards in the 2020 Georgia State Amateur • Dream pairing is with Mitchell, Webb Simpson and William Kane from the College Golf Fellowship staff.
