Jonny Leighfield
Ben James is an American amateur golfer who appears destined for a promising career in the professional game. Find out more about his life and journey to this point via these facts.
Ben James Facts
1. James was born on May 30, 2003 in Milford, Connecticut.
2. He learned to play golf at the age of four after his father, Don, took him to Great River Golf Club, where his grandfather had worked for several years.
3. During a family vacation at Pinehurst Resort, which coincided with the US Kids World Championship, Don asked if Ben could play. When they were informed of the rigorous qualifying process, a four-year-old Ben cried. He would go on to qualify for the next five events after that year, and won the tournament as a 10-year-old. “Everything hit me at the 2013 US Kids World Championships at Pinehurst,” James told Golf Digest. “I won it when I was 10 years old. 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.”
4. Growing up in Milford, which has brutal winters with temperatures falling to single digits, James had to get creative to play golf all year round, including practicing at an indoor facility in nearby Bethany.
5. After graduating from Hamden Hall Country Day high school, James enrolled at UVA in arts and sciences, and is part of the Cavaliers men’s golf team.
6. He has ranked as high as second in the World Amateur Golf Ranking and was the top-ranked junior by the AJGA and Junior Golf Scoreboard Rankings in 2022. He also topped the PGA Tour University rankings ahead of the 2025-26 college season.
7. James made his PGA Tour debut at the 2022 Travelers Championship in his home state of Connecticut, where he missed the cut by three strokes. He has played at several PGA Tour events since, including the Procore Championship, 3M Open, Rocket Mortgage Classic and Valero Texas Open, where he made the cut and finished T33rd in 2025.
8. He made his Major debut at the 2024 US Open at Pinehurst, missing the cut after scores of 75 and 71.
9. He has represented the United States at the 2023 Walker Cup as well as the 2023 and 2024 Palmer cup, helping Team USA win each event. At the 2023 Walker Cup, he went 2-2.
10. As a freshman in college, he won the Phil Mickelson Outstanding Freshman Award. He enjoyed more success as a sophomore, becoming the first multiple first-team All-American in UVA history and claimed a runner-up finish behind Hiroshi Tai at the NCAA Division I Championship.
11. James has six wins in his amateur career, including the 2024 Valero Texas Collegiate at TPC San Antonio, which earned him an exemption into the PGA Tour's Valero Texas Open at the same venue in 2025.
12. He surpassed 25 top-10 finishes through three seasons at UVA - the highest number in the college's history.
Ben James Bio
Born | Milford, Connecticut |
Date of Birth | May 30, 2003 |
Height | 6ft 2ins (1.88m) |
College | University of Virginia |
Amateur Wins | 6 |
Highest WAGR | 2nd |
Benjamin James Wins
- 2022 Streamsong Invitational
- 2023 General Hackler Championship
- 2023 Lewis Chitengwa Memorial
- 2023 South Beach International Amateur
- 2023 NCAA Las Vegas Regional
- 2024 Valero Texas Collegiate
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