Yet as he takes another step up in class at this week’s $60,000 Ian Weigh Toyota Rockhampton Pro-Am at Rockhampton Golf Club, Ford is in position to follow the Ryan Peake playbook and play his way into the highest levels of the sport.

A talented junior who moved from Cairns at the age of 16 to link with Chris Gibson at Royal Queensland Golf Club, Ford had fellow RQ member and Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia winner Jake McLeod on the bag for First Stage of Qualifying School in April.

The pair successfully navigated stage one, but Ford was unable to secure full status for the 2025/2026 season, finishing 44th at Final Stage at Moonah Links.

It’s a position Peake knows well.

As he sought to make his return to professional golf after five years in jail, Peake finished 39th at Final Stage in 2023, shifting his focus towards the adidas PGA Pro-Am Series as a means to play his way into main Tour events.

He won five times on either side of the country in less than six weeks, and, although he missed out on the major events, played 10 events across the 2023/2024 season thanks to his improved category.

A further 12 months on and Peake is a New Zealand Open champion destined to play The Open at Royal Portrush in a fortnight’s time, a timely reminder to Ford that playing well solves all.

“I didn’t know that, but now I know it’s pretty amazing to see,” Ford said of Peake’s progression.

“It’s pretty amazing how quickly life can change for everyone really in the game of golf. If you’re playing well, it can progress pretty quickly.

“It’s great to see that and that’s a great example of what can happen.”

The 2024 club champion at Royal Queensland, Ford turned professional following Final Stage, heading west shortly thereafter to play the WA swing of the Pro-Am Series.

His best performance came with a tie for seventh at the 54-hole Spalding Park Open, his breakthrough win coming in impressive fashion during the Mining Towns Series back in his home state.

Ford shot 10-under 63 to win the JET Engineering Tieri Pro-Am two weeks ago and then went back-to-back, shooting 18-under over two rounds to take out the Bolt Off Clermont Pro-Am.

With two professional wins now to his name, Ford is excited at the prospect of three rounds at Rockhampton in a field full of Tour winners.

“It’s probably more that I’ll enjoy the fact we get to play three rounds of golf instead of one or two days,” added Ford, who like Quinn Croker, James Mee and Lincoln Morgan works on the greens staff at Royal Queensland.

“Get it closer to four rounds because inevitably that’s where I want to be playing.

“That’s four rounds of golf on a week-to-week basis so I see this as a really valuable stepping stone.”

Reigning Rockhampton champion Chris Wood is back to defend his title, the field boasting winners from last year’s Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia season in Ben Henkel (Gippsland Super 6), Will Bruyeres (PNG Open) and James Conran (Heritage Classic).

Round 1 tees off at 6:50am Thursday.

Round 1 draw