AJGA alumnus Ben James, of Milford, Connecticut led his Virginia Cavaliers to match play in the NCAA tournament for the first time in school history.
In Regional competition, James became the first Cavalier to win an individual NCAA Regional for the Cavaliers. James and the Cavaliers traveled to Las Vegas to participate in Regional Competition. James would post scores of 65, 66, and a final bogeyless round of 65 to give him a total tournament score of 20-under-par 196.
Virginia would open the tournament in 17th place, James would shoot a first round 71 put him at 1-over-par. In round two, James shot a 68, followed by a round three 69, and then a final round 68 to put him at 4-under-par for the tournament and help his team advance to bracket play with a seventh overall finish. The team advanced to quarterfinals and match play for the first time in school history with a total of 11-over-par 1131.
In addition to this, James was the only freshman to be named a finalist for the Haskins award, which is given annually to the most outstanding male collegiate golfer. James was named ACC Freshman of the year, GCAA 1st Team All-American, and one of the five finalists for the Jack Nicklaus award. This award is presented to the National Player of the Year in NCAA Divisions I, II, III, as well as NAIA and NJCAA.
Throughout his time with the AJGA, James won a total of five AJGA events, including the Team TaylorMade Invitational twice. James was a three-time Rolex Junior All American, placed second at the 2021 Junior PGA Championship, and was a member of the victorious 2021 Wyndham Cup East Team.