Milford’s James wins Junior Players Championship

Milford’s Ben James fired a 4-under-par 68 to come from behind to win The Junior Players Championship Sunday held at TPC Sawgrass — where the PGA Tour’s Players Championship is held each year — in Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla.

James, a senior at Hamden Hall Country Day, shot a 8-under-par 208 to win the 54-hole event by four strokes over Nick Dunlap, the reigning U.S. Junior Amateur champion. James exacted a measure of revenge after Dunlap beat James in the match play final of the Polo Golf Junior Classic in early July.

This is the third American Junior Golf Association event of the year for James, who is committed to play at the University of Virginia beginning next fall. James is ranked sixth in the Rolex AJGA rankings and qualified for the U.S. Junior Ryder Cup team matches that would have been held later this month, but were cancelled due to the European Junior team unable to travel to the United States due to COVID-19 travel restrictions.