Ben James

Collegiate career 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. 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. He missed the cut by one stroke at Pinehurst No. 2. He made his first cut on the PGA Tour at the 2024 Rocket Mortgage Classic, where he finished tied-44th.

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, where he tied for 33rd place. James ended his senior season with a scoring average of 68.91, which was a new single-season record.

James was a first-team All American during all four years of his collegiate career. 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). 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. He ended his amateur career at No. 2 in the World Amateur Golf Ranking, behind Jackson Koivun. 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. He struggled in the third round, carding a 78 to fall 11 strokes behind the lead, and shot a final-round 69 to end the tournament in tied-54th place. James shot a final-round 61 to finish third at the Wyndham Championship in August 2026.

Amateur wins 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

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Results in major championships

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

U.S. national team appearances Junior Presidents Cup: 2019 (winners) Arnold Palmer Cup: 2023 (winners), 2024 (winners) Walker Cup: 2023 (winners), 2025 (winners)

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