Welcome to LAGC, Ben James.
Since the beginning, LAGC has been a team of veterans. Now we welcome one of the brightest young stars in the game — Ben James.
A rookie on Tour this year, James made nine cuts in just ten starts as a pro — four of those ended in top-10 finishes, plus a top-25 at the U.S. Open.
Now James looks to help LAGC defend its SoFi Cup title in the 2027 season of TGL presented by SoFi.
Who is Ben James?
If you watched much of the PGA Tour this season, you likely saw James near the top of the leaderboard more than a few times.
A young gun, Ben James is just 23 years old, born in Milford, Connecticut. He turned pro just this June after finishing No. 1 in the PGA Tour University rankings. He was a four-time All-American at Virginia — only the fifth player in college golf history to accomplish that, joining Gary Hallberg, Phil Mickelson, David Duval, and Bryce Molder.
He earned his PGA Tour card immediately and has made 9/10 cuts in his rookie season with four top-10s, and slipped into the world top-85 in just 10 events as a pro.
WHY LAGC?
By attitude and vibe, LAGC is a youthful team.
Ben brings youth and untapped potential to a team where much of the potential has already been realized through wins on tour, accolades, and mentions among golf’s very best.
Everyone knows what Justin Rose, Collin Morikawa, Tommy Fleetwood, and Sahith Theegala are capable of because they’ve all already achieved so much. James brings a touch of the unexpected, an element of surprise. We don’t know all that he’s capable of — we just know it’s good.
TGL has shown us the best of the best in a modern setting, but it’s also introduced us to emerging superstars — last season, we saw Michael Thorbjornsen break out as an alternative for Boston Common Golf, and he broke out as one of the brightest young stars on Tour with a win and high finishes.
Now Ben James joins Jackson Koivun (Motor City Golf Club) as the only two 2026 PGA Tour rookies to join a TGL team.
Here’s what Ben James brings to LAGC
Earned PGA Tour membership as the No. 1 player in the 2026 PGA Tour University Ranking
Four-time First Team All American
2026 ACC Player of the Year
2023 ACC Freshman of the Year
2023 and 2025 Walker Cup champion
Reached No. 2 in the World Amateur Golf Ranking
Made 9 of 10 cuts with four top-5 finishes since turning pro in June 2026
In back to back events for James (The Wyndham and The Biltmore), James fired Sunday 61s to shoot himself up to 3rd place and 2nd place finishes, respectively.
So not only is he bringing elite college and amateur play to the table, he’s proven he can go low even when playing beside the game’s best.
Watch Ben James in Action
Watch newcomer Ben James alongside LAGC staples Fleetwood, Rose, Morikawa, and Theegala in the 2027 season of TGL.
Tune in on ESPN all season long as LAGC works to defend the SoFi Cup!