Ben James is a PGA Tour pro 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. Ben James was born on May 30th 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, where he was part of the Cavaliers men’s golf team.
6. He was 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.
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.
8. He made his Major debut at the 2024 US Open at Pinehurst No.2, missing the cut after scores of 75 and 71.
9. He represented the United States at the 2023 and 2025 Walker Cup as well as the 2023 and 2024 Palmer Cup, helping Team USA win each event.
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 claiming a runner-up finish behind Hiroshi Tai at the NCAA Division I Championship.
11. Among James' seven college wins was 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.
13. He accepted PGA Tour membership after finishing at the top of the 2026 PGA Tour University rankings.
14. His first tournament as a pro came at the 2026 RBC Canadian Open, where he led at the halfway stage.
15. Helping him achieve that were eagles at the first in both rounds.
Born |
Milford, Connecticut |
Date of Birth |
May 30, 2003 |
Height |
6ft 2ins (1.88m) |
College |
University of Virginia |
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
- 2026 NCAA Winston-Salem Regional
