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Ben James

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For other people named Ben James, see Ben James (disambiguation).

Ben James
Personal information
Full nameBenjamin James
Born (2003-05-30) May 30, 2003 (age 23)
Milford, Connecticut, U.S.
Height6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)[1]
Sporting nationality United States
Career
CollegeUniversity of Virginia
Turned professional2026
Current tourPGA Tour
Best results in major championships
Masters TournamentDNP
PGA ChampionshipDNP
U.S. OpenT23: 2026
The Open ChampionshipDNP

Benjamin James (born May 30, 2003) is an American professional golfer who plays on the PGA Tour. He was a four-time All-American during his collegiate career at the University of Virginia and finished atop the PGA Tour University rankings to earn membership on the tour in 2026.

Early life

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James was born on May 30, 2003,[2] to Gretchen and Don James.[3] His grandfather was a scratch handicap.[4] James started playing golf at age four, when his father took him to Great River Golf Club in Milford, Connecticut. James received coaching from the head professional Tom Rosati.[5] He broke 90 for the first time at Great River aged six, and by age nine he had broken 80.[3]

In 2013, James won the U.S. Kids World Championships at Pinehurst Resort. He recalled in 2022: "I realized I could win against the best kids that were my age, and that was the whole world. That's when I knew I could do this."[5] At age 11, James received a scholarship to play collegiate golf for the University of Connecticut. He later withdrew this commitment and ultimately committed to the University of Virginia.[4] James said in 2015 that his favorite golfer was Patrick Reed, whom he played with in the pro-am of the 2012 Travelers Championship.[3]

James attended Hamden Hall Country Day School in Hamden, Connecticut, where he played on the golf team beginning in seventh grade.[6] In 2021, he won the Scott Robertson Memorial, Team TaylorMade Invitational, New England Junior Amateur, Junior Players Championship, and the PING Invitational.[1] He shot 7-under 209 at the latter event to win by nine strokes ahead of Caleb Surratt.[7] In 2022, James won the Dustin Johnson World Junior Championship and the Team TaylorMade Invitational.[1] He ended his junior career ranked No. 1 in the nation by the American Junior Golf Association. Hamden Hall golf coach Keith Kaliszewski said in 2022: "Ben is a once in a lifetime kind of player to have the opportunity to be around and coach."[6] James made his PGA Tour debut as a sponsor exemption at the 2022 Travelers Championship.[8]

Collegiate career

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As a freshman at the University of Virginia, James shot 20-under 196 to claim individual victory in his collegiate debut at the Streamsong Invitational in September 2022. He went bogey free for the entirety of the tournament.[9] In total, James recorded five first-place individual finishes during the season and had a 69.00 scoring average, which was the lowest in Virginia Cavaliers program history. He was named a first-team All American and won the 2023 Phil Mickelson Award as the freshman of the year.[1]

James had a 70.31 scoring average in his sophomore season. He tied for second at the 2024 NCAA Division I men's golf championship, which was the best-ever finish by a Virginia Cavalier at the NCAA championship.[1] James made his major championship debut at the 2024 U.S. Open, after shooting 11-under 131 to claim medalist honors during qualifying at Canoe Brook Country Club.[10] He missed the cut by one stroke at Pinehurst No. 2.[11] He made his first cut on the PGA Tour at the 2024 Rocket Mortgage Classic, where he finished tied-44th.[12]

In September 2024, James shot a final-round 66 to erase a five-shot deficit and win the Valero Texas Collegiate. With the win, he earned an exemption to the 2025 Valero Texas Open on the PGA Tour,[13] where he tied for 33rd place.[1] James won his seventh collegiate title in May 2026, at the NCAA Winston-Salem Regional. His score of 19-under 194 was the lowest in NCAA Regional history. The win also tied him with Ben Kohles for most individual victories by a University of Virginia golfer.[14] James ended his senior season with a scoring average of 68.91, which was a new single-season record.[15]

James was a first-team All American during all four years of his collegiate career.[16] He was the fifth man to accomplish this feat, joining Gary Hallberg (1977–80), Phil Mickelson (1989–92), David Duval (1990–93), and Bryce Molder (1998–2001).[17] James was selected to represent the United States at the Arnold Palmer Cup in 2023 and 2024, and the Walker Cup in 2023 and 2025. He helped the United States to victory in each of those competitions.[18] He ended his amateur career at No. 2 in the World Amateur Golf Ranking, behind Jackson Koivun.[18]

Professional career

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James finished first in the PGA Tour University rankings for 2026 and earned membership on the PGA Tour.[19] In his professional debut at the RBC Canadian Open in June 2026, he shot a 7-under 63 in the second round to establish a one-stroke lead atop the leaderboard.[20] He struggled in the third round, carding a 78 to fall 11 strokes behind the lead,[21] and shot a final-round 69 to end the tournament in tied-54th place.[22]

Amateur wins

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  • 2018 New England Junior Amateur Invitational
  • 2019 Killington Junior Golf Championship, Connecticut Junior Amateur, New England Junior Amateur Invitational
  • 2021 Scott Robertson Memorial, Team TaylorMade Invitational, New England Junior Amateur Invitational, Junior Players Championship, PING Invitational
  • 2022 Dustin Johnson World Junior, Team TaylorMade Invitational, Streamsong Invitational, Hamptons Intercollegiate
  • 2023 General Hackler Championship, Lewis Chitengwa Memorial, NCAA Las Vegas Regional, South Beach International Amateur
  • 2024 Valero Texas Collegiate
  • 2026 NCAA Winston-Salem Regional

Source:[23]

Results in major championships

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Tournament 2024 2025 2026
Masters Tournament
PGA Championship
U.S. Open CUT CUT T23
The Open Championship
  Did not play

CUT = missed the half-way cut
"T" = tied

U.S. national team appearances

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Source:[23]

References

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  1. ^ a b c d e f "Ben James – Men's Golf 2025–26". Virginia Cavaliers Athletics. Retrieved June 13, 2026.
  2. ^ "Ben James". PGA Tour. Retrieved June 13, 2026.
  3. ^ a b c "Milford golfer Ben James, 11, already a UConn commit". New Haven Register. May 30, 2015. Retrieved June 13, 2026.
  4. ^ a b White, Jeff (April 9, 2023). "James Living Up to Billing in First Year". Virginia Cavaliers Athletics. Retrieved June 13, 2026.
  5. ^ a b Herzig, Gabrielle (June 22, 2022). "The No. 1 junior in the country is making his PGA Tour debut this week, and he hails from ... Connecticut?". Golf Digest. Retrieved June 13, 2026.
  6. ^ a b Morelli, By Joe (July 4, 2022). "Hamden Hall's Ben James the New Haven Register Area MVP for golf". New Haven Register. Retrieved June 13, 2026.
  7. ^ "Ben James, Gianna Clemente win PING Invitational". AmateurGolf.com. October 11, 2021. Retrieved June 13, 2026.
  8. ^ "Milford's Ben James Making PGA Debut in Travelers Championship". NBC Connecticut. June 23, 2022. Retrieved June 13, 2026.
  9. ^ "Cavaliers Set School Records in Streamsong Win". Virginia Cavaliers Athletics. Retrieved June 13, 2026.
  10. ^ Jourdan, Cameron (June 10, 2024). "Meet the 16 amateurs playing in the 2024 U.S. Open at Pinehurst No. 2". Golfweek. Retrieved June 13, 2026.
  11. ^ Morelli, Joe (June 3, 2025). "Connecticut native Ben James, former Yale golfer James Nicholas qualify to play in U.S. Open". New Haven Register. Retrieved June 13, 2026.
  12. ^ Romine, Brentley (September 24, 2024). "Virginia's Ben James keeps rolling, this time wins Valero to earn PGA Tour start". Golf Channel. Archived from the original on January 18, 2026. Retrieved June 13, 2026.
  13. ^ "Ben James Wins Valero Texas Collegiate". Virginia Cavaliers Athletics. September 23, 2024. Retrieved June 13, 2026.
  14. ^ Fitzgerald, Scott (May 20, 2026). "Ben James Wins Second NCAA Regional, Cavaliers Advance". Virginia Cavaliers Athletics. Retrieved June 13, 2026.
  15. ^ Fitzgerald, Scott (June 3, 2026). "James Becomes College Golf's Fifth Four-time, First Team All-American". Virginia Cavaliers Athletics. Retrieved June 13, 2026.
  16. ^ Myers, Alex (June 12, 2026). "Ben James' pro debut on the PGA Tour is off to an incredible start". Golf Digest. Retrieved June 16, 2026.
  17. ^ Morelli, Joe (June 8, 2026). "Travelers Championship grants Connecticut golfer Ben James sponsor's exemption for June's event". New Haven Register. Retrieved June 13, 2026.
  18. ^ a b Richards, Chris (June 1, 2026). "Virginia senior Ben James earns PGA Tour card, headlines PGA Tour University Class of 2026". PGA Tour. Retrieved June 13, 2026.
  19. ^ Jourdan, Cameron. "Virginia's Ben James tops PGA Tour University Class of 2026, full rankings and status". Golfweek. Retrieved June 13, 2026.
  20. ^ "Ben James grabs one-shot lead in pro debut at RBC Canadian Open". ESPN. Associated Press. June 12, 2026. Retrieved June 13, 2026.
  21. ^ "Ben James' pro debut takes wicked turn as Milford native shoots 8-over 78, drops 59 spots". Hartford Courant. June 13, 2026. Retrieved June 14, 2026.
  22. ^ "Milford's Ben James finishes tied for 54th at Canadian Open after leading through two rounds". Hartford Courant. June 14, 2026. Retrieved June 16, 2026.
  23. ^ a b "Benjamin James". World Amateur Golf Ranking. Retrieved June 13, 2026.
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