A Dream Come True

STARKVILLE – For former Mississippi State golfer Ford Clegg, competing at the Sanderson Farms Championship in his PGA Tour debut with his family by his side earlier this month was a surreal moment.

The Birmingham, Alabama, native's impressive second round featured eight birdies, as he shot a 7-under 65 to launch him ahead in the rankings and place him ahead of the cut. Clegg's electric finish was the cherry on top of his amazing experience competing in the event.

"It was an awesome week all around," Clegg said. "You grow up dreaming [and] seeing yourself being in that spotlight [and] being on that stage, but you can never really prepare for it until you get there. I wouldn't have wanted to do it anywhere else besides in Mississippi."

Clegg's performance in his debut also served as a learning experience that he will carry with him moving forward in future events on the PGA Tour.

"The weekend was humbling enough to where I know that there's a fine line between me being able to do it once a year or once a month versus doing it every single week," Clegg said. "It was good in both ways so that I got to see 'Hey, I'm capable of doing this at a high level', but I also kind of got to see Saturday [and] Sunday what I have to do better to be out there every week."

Growing up in Birmingham, Clegg competed on the Mountain Brook High School golf team. After an impressive spring season as a junior, he connected with MSU head coach Dusty Smith.

"We have a great relationship," Clegg said. "He took a chance on me, and I tried to give him five years of everything I could to make the program better. Luckily, it worked well, and the program is in a lot better spot than where we started."

Clegg arrived at State as a freshman in 2018 and he made an immediate impact on the program as he notched multiple SEC Freshman of the Week honors and compiled four consecutive top-15 finishes in the spring.
In his junior year, Clegg secured First-Team All-SEC honors for his incredible performances for the Bulldogs. He earned seven top-20 finishes and took home an individual title at the U.S. Open Locals event. Last year, Clegg helped lead State to its first-ever NCAA regional championship in program history.

In his five years competing in the Maroon and White, Clegg helped lead the Bulldogs to historic heights. It's a time he'll always be grateful for as he chases his professional dreams.

"Being a Bulldog has taught me a lot," Clegg said. "We overcame a lot of adversity the first few years trying to make regionals [and] trying to be competitive. A big reason I stayed for my fifth year is because we had never been to a national championship and that was a goal that we all sat down and agreed on as a program goal. To get to do that [and] help change the culture of the team, it was a great way to finish out a career."

Mississippi State University Athletics

Players Mentioned

Ford Clegg

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