DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — A 22-year-old American amateur making his debut on the European tour upstaged Rory McIlroy, Jon Rahm and many of the world’s top players at the Dubai Desert Classic to take a share of the first-round clubhouse lead on Thursday.
David Ford, a senior at the University of North Carolina, holed a 40-foot eagle putt at his first hole, ran off five straight birdies midway through the round and signed for a 7-under 65 at Emirates Golf Club.
Ford is a lefty, No. 6 in the world amateur rankings and playing outside the United States for the first time. He earned an exemption for the Dubai Desert Classic, one of the most prestigious events on the European tour, as a reward for finishing the fall section of the collegiate golf schedule at No. 1 in the PGA Tour’s university ranking.
He was tied for the lead with Ricardo Gouveia of Portugal and David Micheluzzi of Australia — and five shots clear of defending champion McIlroy, who said he felt “a little uncomfortable” in shooting 70 in his first competitive round of 2025.
Rahm was among the few groups left out on the course. The LIV Golf player was 3 under after 14 holes on his debut at the tournament.
Preston Summerhays, another top American amateur who played at the Walker Cup with Ford in 2023, shot 70 and was alongside McIlroy at 2 under.
Ford has played three times on the PGA Tour — at the RSM Classic and Barbasol Championship across 2022-23 and the Arnold Palmer Invitational last year. At Bay Hill, he shot 1-under 71 in his first round but followed it with an 83 to miss the cut.