Tequesta, Florida – Benjamin James of Milford, Connecticut, shot a 4-under-par 66 to take the solo lead after the second round of the Team TaylorMade Invitational.
James holds a five-stroke lead with 18 holes left to play. The defending champ started his second round with two birdies in his first three holes. After making the turn, James went bogey-free to finish with a total of 5-under-par 135.
I played good yesterday but didn't make enough putts. I had a lot of two putts from 40 or 50 feet which was great. That is really tough to do out here but I just put it in the fairway and hit it close.
At No. 2 in the Rolex AJGA Rankings, James will attend the University of Virginia to play college golf in the fall. James is coming off a 2021 campaign which saw him win three AJGA Invitationals, including the inaugural Team TaylorMade Invitational.
First-round co-leader Chase Kyes of Birmingham, Alabama, shot a 71 to hold second place at even-par 140 after the two days. The 2025 high school grad has four AJGA top-5 finishes, including two AJGA wins in 2020.
In third, Bryan Kim of Brookeville, Maryland, had five birdies and two bogeys en route to a 3-under-par 67 for a total of 1-over-par 141. At No. 25 in the Rolex AJGA Rankings, the Duke verbal commit has three top ten finishes in AJGA Invitationals.
In a three-way tie for fourth, PJ Maybank of Cheboygan, Michigan, Carson Kim of Fullerton, California, and first-round co-leader Jack Roberts of Saint Marys, Georgia, sit at 3-over-par 143.
Rounding out the top ten, Andrew Ramos of Blaine, Minnesota, Nicholas Dunlap of Northport, Alabama, Jacob Sosa of Austin, Texas, and Rex Hargrove of Houston, Texas, are tied for seventh at 4-over-par 144.
The Team TaylorMade Invitational is part of a rich history of events including the AJGA Simplify Boys Championship at Carlton Woods, Wyndham Invitational presented by Truist, and The Junior PLAYERS Championship. This event, and the Jack Burke Jr. Invitational, debuted in 2021 and are the first two AJGA boys stroke play Invitationals added to the schedule since 2007.
The Team TaylorMade Invitational field features 43 former AJGA champions, 22 Rolex Junior All-Americans, and 11 of the top 20 boys in the current Rolex AJGA Rankings at tradition-rich Jupiter Hills Club.
The final round of the Team TaylorMade Invitational continues Monday, May 29 from 7:30-9:31 a.m. off Nos. 1 and 10.