David Cohen
Director / Strategic Brand Engagement
CINCINNATI – Cincinnati Athletics features more than 400 student-athletes who are doing incredible things on and off the field. Some will go pro in sports. Some will go on to do great things in business, medicine, or other professional fields. All will be Bearcats for Life. These are their stories.
Freshman Ryan Ford has made an immediate impact on the No. 36-ranked Cincinnati men’s golf team. He has been named AAC Men’s Golfer of the Week twice this spring, being the first rookie to earn multiple in-season AAC honors since South Florida’s Albin Bergstrom in 2018-19. He tied the school record with a 15-under 201 in Puerto Rico’s Dorado Beach Collegiate and later did the same with an 8-under 64 in the first round of the Mossy Oak Collegiate in Mississippi.
Ford will look to continue his impressive rookie campaign when the Bearcats head to Belleair, Florida for the AAC Championships, beginning Friday at Pelican Golf Club.
Learn more about Ford below!
How did you begin your golf career?
“I used to live in Florence, Kentucky and my dad’s job forced our family to move to Indianapolis during the summer of 2016. Before we moved, I was always into golf; I just never took it seriously until we moved into a golf community, and I would go to the course during my free time.”
When did you realize that golf could be a future for you?
“I would say my junior year of high school when I started getting recruited and more and more people kept telling me that I was good. Then it made me realize that if I keep putting in the work then I can make something out of it.”
What changed for you to climb the rankings at the beginning of the Spring?
“I think there were a lot of factors, first being that I learned a lot during the fall and brought it into the spring. I also had (head coach) Doug Martin and Coach (Austin) Frick help me with a lot of things and helped me prepare.”
Is there any part of the game that you have made an emphasis on this year?
“It has mostly been about strategy and using that to make the course easier on myself, as well as picking smarter shots which Coach Martin and Coach Frick has made an emphasis on.”
Is there anything that you have picked up from the coaches in your career that you will take into your future?
“One of the biggest things would be preparation in all parts of life, relating to school and golf and not stressing about it too much.”
What do you want people to know about the UC golf program?
“All the guys get along really well which is a big factor in the team chemistry and trusting each other to play well. We all work really hard, and everyone keeps each other accountable to make sure we are performing to our best ability.”
What do you do when you are not on the course?
“I love watching movies and hanging out with the guys; we always have a great time.”
Do you consider yourself a movie buff and if so, what are your top three?
“I definitely enjoy watching movies and if I would choose a top three, I would go Forrest Gump, Interstellar and Shutter Island.”
What is your major and what are your future plans?
“I am a Sport Administration major, and I would like to pursue golf in the future and go pro. If that does not work out then I would want to be a coach of some sort and stay in the game and help others out.”
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