Ben James

Virginia

Honors
• Helped Team USA to the Walker Cup victory
• Part of victorious 2023 Palmer Cup Team
• Named to Hogan Award Watch List

2023-24 (Sophomore)
• Won the South Beach International Amateur during semester break by two shots at -12/271
• Ranked No. 62 in the final fall Spikemark rankings
• Posted team-best 70.44 scoring average in the fall
• Capped the fall by helping UVA to the Golf Club of Georgia Collegiate title with a fifth-place finish
• Shot -8, 208 at GCGC including final round of -7, 65
• In season debut, placed eighth at Highlands Invitational, shooting -7, 209
• Helped Team USA to Walker Cup win at the Old Course in St. Andrews, Scotland
• Tied for third at Puerto Rico Classic (-14, 202)
• Led UVA with 12th-place finish at Watersound Invitational (-5, 211)
• Placed 11th at Hayt Collegiate (+1, 217)
• Had his career 15th top-10 finish at the Linger Longer Invitational, placing sixth (-7, 209)

2022-23 (Freshman)

Honors
• Helped Team USA to the Walker Cup victory
• Winner of the 2023 Phil Mickelson Outstanding Freshman Award
• First-Team PING All-American
• First-Team All-Freshman by the Golf Coaches Association of America
• ACC Freshman of the Year
• One of top three finalists for the Haskins Award
• Finalist for the Jack Nicklaus Award
• Only freshman on the final Haskins and Nicklaus awards watch lists
• All-ACC selection
• All PING East-Region
• Selected for 2023 U.S. Palmer Cup team where he helped Team USA to victory
• Named to both the VaSID Men’s Golfer of the Year and VaSID Men’s Golf Rookie of the Year

2022-23 Season
• Ranked No. 3 in final Golfstat and Golfweek standings
• That is the highest final ranking every by a Cavalier
• Second player to earn first-team All-America honors (Jimmy Stanger, 2017)
• Second Cavalier to be named national freshman of the year (Jimmy Flippen, 1992)
• Was sixth at NCAA Championships (-4, 276), matching the second-best finish by a Cavalier
• Helped UVA to its best NCAA finish as Hoos advanced to quarterfinals of match play after finishing seventh in stroke play
• Set UVA record with five first-place finishes
• Finished in the top six in 11 of 13 tournaments
• Was co-medalist at NCAA Las Vegas Regional
• Matched his school record by shooting -20, 196 at NCAA Regional, which was low total by a Cavalier at a regional site
• His 65s (matched by fellow first-year Bryan Lee in the first round) at NCAA Regional were low rounds ever by a Cavalier at a regional site
• His 69.00 stroke average is lowest single-season mark in UVA history
• Tied for third at ACCs shooting -7, 209
• Helped UVA reach match play portion of championship for first time since ACC adopted that format in 2021.
• Finished the fall campaign ranked No. 5 by Golfweek and No. 26 by Golfstat
• Invited by USGA International Team Selection Committee to attend December practice session for Walker Cup
• Fantastic collegiate debut by winning the Streamsong Invitational shooting school-record -20, 196
• His score tied for third best collegiate tourney score vs. par
• Did not have a bogey over his first 54 holes
• Shot 63 in first collegiate round, one off the UVA single-round scoring record
• Was ranked No. 2 in Golfweek individual poll on Sept. 19
• Helped UVA shoot school record -56, 808 at Streamsong
• Tied for third at Inverness Intercollegiate, shooting -2, 211
• Took top honors at the Hamptons Intercollegiate, shooting -5, 211
• Tied the UVA record by winning the Hamptons by nine strokes
• Selected as the ACC Golfer of the Month for September and co-winner for March
• Shot under par in all four fall tournaments
• Opened spring with fourth-place finish at Dorado Beach Collegiate (-12, 204)
• Runner-up at the Wake Forest Invitational (E, 210)
• Co-Medalist at General Hackler Championship (-13, 203)
• Placed fourth at Augusta Haskins Award Invitational (-11, 205)
• Shared medalist honors with Florida State’s Cole Anderson at Lewis Chitengwa Memorial (-9, 202)
• Posted a final-round score of -6, 65 at Chitengwa

Amateur / High School /Personal
• Enrolled in Arts & Sciences at UVA
• Exempt for the 2023 U.S. Amateur where he advanced to match play
• Competed in 2023 Travelers Championship under sponsor’s exemption
• Completed his junior career as the nation’s top-ranked junior player  by American Junior Golf Association and Golfweek.
• Ranked No. 41 amateur player by WAGR when he enrolled at UVA
• Received a sponsor exemption for the 2022 Travelers Championship
• Advanced to round of 32 of match play at 2022 U.S. Amateur
• Fifth at 2022 North & South Amateur
• Selected for the United States 2021 Junior Ryder Cup
• 2021 and 2020 first-team Rolex Junior All-American and a second-team selection in 2019
• Finished in the top three of his last six American Junior Golf Association events, winning four times
• Won the 2021 Junior PLAYERS Championship, 2021 PING Invitational, 2022 Dustin Johnson World Junior, 2022 Team TaylorMade Invitational on AJGA circuit
• Was third at AJGA Rolex Tournament of Champions and second at Terra Cotta Invitational
• Won the 2021 New England Junior Amateur
• Second at the 2021 Boy’s Junior PGA Championship
• Won the 2021 Scott Robertson Memorial
• A member of the victorious 2021 Wyndham Cup East Team.
• Major is undecided

Ben James’ Career Statistics

Ben James Career Bests
Career Best Tournament Finish: 1st, NCAA Las Vegas Regional, May 17, 2023, Lewis Chitengwa Memorial, April 11, 2023, General Hackler Championship, March 14, 2023, Hamptons Intercollegiate, Oct. 5, 2022 & Streamsong Invitational, Sept. 12, 2022
Career Top-10 Finishes: 15
Career Best 54-Hole Score:  196, NCAA Las Vegas Regional, May 17, 2023 & Streamsong Invitational, Sept. 12, 2022
Career Best 18-Hole Score: 63, Streamsong Invitational, Sept. 12, 2022