PGA Professional Scott Ford's Family Tree Was Planted on a Golf Course

PGA Professional Scott Ford’s Great Grandfather was a PGA Professional. When you start to think about that from a time perspective, you wonder if he was there in New York City at the Taplow Club having lunch with Rodman Wanamaker. Scott’s grandfather was Doug Ford, the winner of the 1955 PGA Championship. Doug was one of 9 PGA Championship winners who was the son of a PGA Professional.

Doug Ford’s legacy in golf has placed him in the World Golf Hall of Fame. The PGA Champion and 1957 Masters Champion played on 4 winning US Ryder Cup teams as an ambassador for the PGA of America in the biannual matches. Doug Ford competed in 27 PGA Championships from 1955 to 1981. Yes, he won his first start in the PGA. Not only did he win it, but he’s one of only four players to be the qualifying medalist and eventual winner. The other names on that short list include Walter Hagan and Byron Nelson!

Of course, the PGA Championship in those days consisted of stroke play qualifying followed by match play to determine a winner. The 2022 PGA Championship hosted by Southern Hills Country Club employs a 72-hole stroke play format. We know Scottie Scheffler, Collin Morikawa and many of the names who will compete there, but there’s always those special 20 whose names we don’t know quite yet.

The PGA of America Professional Championship (PPC) takes place this upcoming week in Austin, Texas at the Omni Barton Creek resort. The 72-hole high stakes PGA Professional Championship not only awards the 1st Place finisher, but almost equally important are the other 19 players who will join the champion at Southern Hills for the PGA Championship as part of the #Teamof20.

One PGA Professional who has the genealogy to grab a spot on that Team of 20 is Scott Ford. Scott is a PGA Assistant Professional at the Glen Oaks Club in Old Westbury, New York. The 2021 Metropolitan Senior Match Play winner has been to the PPC before in 2011. This is his first trip back and he’s poised to make a run.

The varied landscape of Barton Creek can be easily noticed in the namesake of the two courses the 312 PGA Professionals will play: Tom Fazio’s Foothills and the Coore Crenshaw Cliffside. Reminiscent of the texture many courses have in the northeast, Ford was the MetPGA Section Champion in 2010 prior to his last appearance in our national championship.

Since his days in Rollins College and his time on the PGA Tour Scott has used his special family mentor to assist him in achieving so many wonderful playing accolades. Growing up with grandfather who won 2 major championships and 17 PGA Tour titles is very helpful. Win the annual family tournament and you’re bound to be brimming with some serious confidence.

Ford did play well in his first PPC back in 2011. He made the cut, and his second round 68 gave him a 36-hole total of 141 and in contention for the coveted top 20 finish. Although he didn’t earn that ticket, he remembers the moment and will be better prepared for this year’s attempt to qualify. Ford looks back with no regrets. Golf’s been good to him since and has been for a long time. Which reminds him of a story his grandfather once told him. Doug Ford received a contract offer from the New York Yankees. As his grandfather was trying to decide which path to take, his dad asked him a question. Scott’s PGA Great Grandfather said, “How long will that baseball career last?” Doug said maybe 10 years. His father replied, “Stick to golf, you’ll last forever.”

Well forever is a long time, but there’s little doubt in the Ford family that success in golf can last more than one lifetime.