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USA Today
16-04-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
David Ford or Luke Clanton? Breaking down the 2 favorites for the 2025 Haskins Award
David Ford or Luke Clanton? Breaking down the 2 favorites for the 2025 Haskins Award College golf's postseason is officially here, as conference championships begin across the country Wednesday with teams looking to officially punch their ticket to NCAA Regionals begin next month. With a majority of the regular-season events in the books, most players have completed a majority of their seasons, meaning resumes are about as polished as they can be. When it comes to the Fred Haskins Award, presented by Stifel, two players have separated themselves from the pack as favorites for the Player of the Year award. It's that time of year again: Calculating college golf's Magic Number Let's take a look at the two, break down their stats and see who's the favorite heading into the stretch (Spoiler alert: they play in the same conference). Luke Clanton The junior at Florida State is well known for what he has done on the PGA Tour in the last year, playing well enough to earn his PGA Tour card, which he can take up after the NCAA Championship next month. The expectation is that Clanton will turn pro, and he stated his final goal in amateur golf is to win an NCAA Championship. Last year, the Seminoles finished runner-up at Omni La Costa, site of the national championship. Clanton, similar to his sophomore year, has only gotten stronger as the season has progressed. He has three wins, all coming in the spring and in three of his past four starts. The one tournament he didn't win, he finished seventh and it was the Monday and Tuesday after he competed and made the cut at the PGA Tour's Valspar Championship. His worst finish this year is T-15. Put his amateur accolades aside and look only at what he has done in college this season, Clanton has been stellar yet again. There's a reason he's the top amateur in the world and earned his PGA Tour card. This spring, he has shown it even more. David Ford Ford had a strong start to the season in the fall and has only built on it in the spring. He has three consecutive wins heading into the ACC Championship, including over Clanton at the Valspar Intercollegiate. Ford's five wins in 2024-25 are the most in a single season in the history of UNC golf, and he has also tied Dustin Bray for the UNC career record with seven titles. Ford is also ranked first with a sizable lead on second with a little more than a month left before a PGA Tour card is awarded. His play this year has helped him close in on locking up that guaranteed card, and his five wins is more than any other Player in Division I. He's the top-ranked player in the NCAA golf rankings, and for good reason. When it comes to college events this year, Ford has been stellar. Who's the favorite? Clanton and Ford are the definite front-runners, with Ford having the advantage heading into the ACC Championship, where the two will face off for the first time since the Valspar Intercollegiate. Ford's five wins are hard to overlook, though the award isn't quite locked up. It's also important to separate that Ford has been the best college player in 2024-25, while Clanton has been the best amateur in the world since last summer, which he will win the Hogan Award for. The gap is still close enough where Clanton could win the Haskins, but he'll have to outplay Ford down the stretch. Louisville's Sebastian Moss is another player who has three wins this year and will be primed for a shot at the Haskins with a strong showing at ACCs. Ford is coming around the final corner with the lead, but Clanton, Moss and others are hoping to make a run down the stretch. Note: Just because a player isn't mentioned here doesn't mean they're not in contention for the award.
Yahoo
14-04-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
North Carolina's David Ford claims 5th win of season, makes case for Haskins Award
David Ford has put together a season that is the best in the history of North Carolina men's golf, and the postseason hasn't even started. The senior won his fifth tournament of the season Sunday, claiming the Tar Heel Intercollegiate at Finley Golf Club by four shots over Elon's Jack Wieler. Ford finished at 7-under 203 for the tournament, and it was his third straight win this spring, coming on the heels of wins at the Valspar Intercollegiate and the Augusta Haskins Award Invitational. Both wins earned him PGA Tour exemptions, but he may have his Tour card by the end of next month thanks to his stellar play. Advertisement Ford is ranked first in the NCAA golf rankings as conference championship season gets underway Monday, and he's also the top-ranked golfer in the PGA Tour University ranking for the Class of 2025. His latest stretch of brilliance has increased his lead on Auburn's Brendan Valdes. If Ford maintains the No. 1 spot by the end of stroke play at the NCAA Championship, he will earn his PGA Tour card immediately and can take up membership. Ford would become the third player to earn a card after finishing first in the PGA Tour University, following in the footsteps of Ludvig Aberg and Michael Thorbjornsen. He would also join Gordon Sargent, a senior at Vanderbilt, in joining the PGA Tour after the NCAA Championship. Luke Clanton, a junior at Florida State, has also earned his Tour card but hasn't officially announced whether he'll turn pro after the NCAA Championship, though that's the expectation. More: 2025 NCAA men's college golf conference championship dates and results His five wins in 2024-25 are the most in a single season in the history of UNC golf, and Ford has also tied Dustin Bray for the UNC career record with seven titles. He has made his case for best player in UNC history, and his accolades may keep coming with ACCS and the postseason lurking. Advertisement In addition to closing in on a PGA Tour card, Ford is making his case for the Fred Haskins Award, which is given to college golf's Player of the Year. Clanton, who is a virtual lock for the Ben Hogan Award, made a push this spring or Haskins consideration, but it's important to distinguish the criteria for both awards and why Ford and Clanton should take home their respective awards. The Haskins Award is given to the best player in college golf, which to this point has been Ford. He has the most wins in all of Division I, let alone the Power 4 conferences. He beat Clanton head-to-head at the Valspar last month, has three more victories than him and has nearly slammed the door on any challengers for the Haskins with his play down the stretch. The duo will face off at ACCs, where Clanton could close the gap with a win, but Ford would still hold the advantage in college golf. The Hogan Award, however, considers a player's performance in college, amateur and professional events over a 12-month period. Clanton had the award locked up by last fall, and he has only grasped the trophy tighter with his performances in not only college golf but PGA Tour events this spring. He locked up his PGA Tour card by making the cut at the Cognizant Classic in February and said his last goal for amateur golf is to win a national championship with Florida State. The Seminoles finished runner-up to Auburn last year. In a little more than a month's time, the duo is likely to claim their respective awards before turning professional and competing on the PGA Tour this summer. Until then, it's time to enjoy the immensely talented crop of amateurs who have only a few rounds left of their amateur careers. This article originally appeared on Golfweek: David Ford wins for fifth time, closing in on winning Haskins Award
