James signs to continue career at Virginia
Milford resident standout among nation’s top juniors
HAMDEN — It was a moment many years in the making. Years and years of practice at Great River Club in Milford and years and years of dominating the junior golf ranks.
Ben James has worked tirelessly — often when no one was watching — to make himself one of the top junior golfers in the nation. On Thursday afternoon, the Milford resident and Hamden Hall Country Day standout made his next destination official.
James, the No. 2 junior in the American Junior Golf Association rankings, signed a National Letter of Intent to play men’s golf at the University of Virginia.
“It’s going to be different than junior golf. The courses are harder and trickier and it takes more time management obviously in college,” James said. “I am ready for it. I’ve been playing high-level amateur events for a good couple of years now.”
James, 19, signed in front of his family, friends and classmates on the Hamden Hall campus. He hasn’t lost a dual match with the program since his first one in the seventh grade.
“It was great to see all my friends and my family came a long way,” James said. “I’m so blessed to be in this position.”
But it’s what he has done on both a state and national level that has made James a household name in junior golf circles. James won three AJGA tournaments this year, including the Junior Players Championship in early September.
James also qualified for the U.S. Junior Ryder Cup this year, two years after being one of 12 to qualify for the U.S. Junior Presidents Cup that competed in Australia.
“Virginia is really, really lucky to have Ben coming,” Hamden Hall coach Keith Kalizewski said. “Coach (Bowen) Sargent is going to be super happy with the type of person that he is getting and the type of golfer that he is getting.”
Sargent also landed world junior No. 5 Bryan Lee in the incoming recruiting class.
“These are the kind of kids who were highly sought after. Everybody wanted them,” Sargent said. “For us to land both, it really is game changing. We are expecting both guys to come in and play right away. This give us a chance to win the national championship.”
James originally verbally committed to UConn at age 11, sparking nationwide interest. He ended up reopening his recruiting process and committed to Virginia in December of 2018. From there, James never wavered despite continued interest from other Division
I programs.
Sargent came up to watch James play at the Northern Junior in early August. James won it for the third consecutive year.
But what Sargent heard left a bigger impression than the on-course performance.
“Recruiting on the surface is a lot like first dates, everyone is on good behavior,” Sargent said. “But everybody who came up to me (at the tournament) said what a good kid he is, how humble he is, willing to help people out. That all is a big part of it. It’s not just about golf.”
Virginia also has Chris Fosdick, out of Middlefield who transferred in from Florida Southern in 2020 and is the reigning two-time Connecticut Amateur champion.
“We are going to be ready to win, I will tell you that,” James said. “I’ve gained enough experience in both directions, losing and winning, to have a good understanding to be able to contribute.”