James Proves to be Quick Study Early in Pro Career

One week ago, at the RBC Canadian Open, Ben James suffered what could have been a serious setback for any athlete, let alone one making his professional debut. The 23-year-old had led the field after 36 holes with an impressive second-round 63 – ahead of stars such as Brooks Koepka, Tommy Fleetwood and Wyndam Clark – but struggled to a third-round 78 and finished the tournament tied for 54th. 

Many young players would have struggled to rebound after such a letdown, but on Thursday, the Milford, Conn., native carded a 1-under 69 in the first round at the 126th U.S. Open at Shinnecock Hills Golf Club, placing himself just off the lead.

Also impressive? James was the architect of his own emotional recovery. “I played a little soft out there at the RBC,” he says. “I got away from my own game. I'm not playing soft anymore.”

To make things even more challenging in this first round of James’ third U.S. Open, he wasn’t just fighting last week’s disappointment: He was also fighting sustained winds of 15-25 mph, with gusts over 30.

“I think the harder it is, the less you have to care,” he says. “All you can control is what you're doing... make a good swing and the elements are the elements.  I knew that anything around par was a great score, so I just plugged along, missed in the right spots and gave myself some par putts when I got out of position. I was able to roll those in nicely and hit a lot of fairways. The golf course is hard, but everyone is playing it.”

A four-time All-American at the University of Virginia, James played for the USA on two victorious Walker Cup teams, in 2023 at the Old Course in St. Andrews and just 10 months ago at Cypress Point Club. James earned his PGA Tour membership by finishing atop the Tour’s university ranking. In his two prior U.S. Open appearances, he missed the cut last year at Oakmont and in 2024 at Pinehurst.

“U.S. Opens are really demanding tests of golf,” says James. “I’ve played in two of them, so that's helped. I kind of knew what to expect, and I was just happy to feel that I was ready to go this morning.”

As James prepares for day two at Shinnecock – just across Long Island Sound from his hometown – he seems confident about what lies ahead. “It’s really cool. It’s been a crazy month, but it's been great. I'm just enjoying it, learning as much as I can, and last week I learned a lot.”

The mild-mannered James seems poised to put those lessons to good use in his first U.S. Open as a professional.