Golf NIL Movement: Ford ties UNC, national wins records, Bernat-Escuder delivers at Augusta
- Golf NIL
- Apr 9
- 2 min read
Updated: Nov 16
by Shon Crewe
April 10, 2025
Money Moves
This week, David Ford moves to No. 6 in the Golf NIL College Men's Rankings and No. 9 in our overall Top 10.
The North Carolina senior is currently ranked No. 4 in the World Amateur Golf Ranking and holds the top spot in the PGA TOUR University rankings. His recent playoff victory at the Augusta Haskins Award Invitational marked his fourth individual title this season, tying a UNC record and matching the national lead in wins, which earned him an exemption into July's 3M Open.
Beyond the scores, Ford's media presence has surged, with 12-plus PGA TOUR University feature stories since December; notably, Golfweek has tagged him as the Haskins Trophy frontrunner.
Four college amateurs—Arizona State's Josele Ballester (No. 6 in the College Men's Rankings), Georgia Tech's Hiroshi Tai (No. 15), San Diego State's Justin Hastings (No. 21), and Florida's Noah Kent—take on golf's biggest stage this week. Tai makes history as Singapore's first Masters competitor. Past low amateurs Sam Bennett and Neal Shipley became overnight golf household names thanks to Augusta National. Now, the spotlight is primed for this year's group.
Kansas State’s Carla Bernat Escuder surged to No. 21 in the Golf NIL College Women’s Rankings (up four spots) after her historic Augusta National Women’s Amateur win. Finishing 12 under with three sub-70 rounds, the Spaniard gained major NIL exposure—adding nearly 6,000 Instagram followers—through the tournament’s NBC broadcast (1 million-plus viewers), social amplification (50-plus posts across Masters and ANWA accounts with 3.5 million-plus followers), and coverage from major outlets such as the BBC, New York Times, and ESPN.
The senior has claimed five top-10 finishes this season, including a win at the Mountain View Collegiate. Her WAGR leap, nine spots to No. 20, marks her first career top-20 world ranking
Welcome to the Boards
Algot Kleen joins the boards on the Golf NIL Watchlist. The LSU senior, who ranks No. 29 in WAGR, recently notched a runner-up finish at the Pauma Valley Invitational. He ranks ninth in the PGA TOUR University rankings and is one of 20 players named to the spring Haskins Award watchlist.
