Final summer season, Ben James was experiencing a few of his worst golf.
Now, he’s taking part in a few of his greatest.
James received the Valero Texas Collegiate on Monday, firing a closing 6-under 66 at TPC San Antonio to tie Auburn sophomore Josiah Gilbert at 12 underneath. James then topped Gilbert in a playoff to earn an exemption into subsequent yr’s Valero Texas Open.
James started the ultimate spherical trailing Gilbert by 5 pictures. He bogeyed his first gap of the day, too. However James then rattled off seven birdies in his final 13 holes, together with on the par-5 18th, the place James hit 3-wood from 260 yards to 10 ft and two-putted to power further holes.
Within the playoff, James hit a good higher shot – 3-wood from 267 yards to 7 ft – and his second two-putt on the final sealed his spot within the April 3-6 Tour occasion on the identical course. James already owns six Tour begins up to now, together with final week’s Procore Championship and this yr’s Rocket Mortgage Traditional, the place he made his first lower (T-44).
James has been on a tear because the finish of final summer season. After profitable 5 instances as a freshman, James went by means of a hunch that lasted a number of months, and he hit all-time low finally yr’s Western Beginner, the place he tied for 142nd. After that end, James retreated to a log cabin in Linville, North Carolina, a small resort neighborhood within the Blue Ridge Mountains. He was driving it unusually poor and placing extra strain on his shaky placing, however most significantly, he had misplaced some pleasure.
“Simply wished to isolate myself,” James stated, “and simply form of labored on my sport in peace, nobody to hassle me.”
Since that escape, James has dominated. He reached the quarterfinals finally yr’s U.S. Beginner at Cherry Hills earlier than serving to the U.S. win the Walker Cup in September and profitable the South Seaside Worldwide Beginner final December. Throughout his sophomore season for the Cavaliers, he didn’t end worse than T-16, and he capped the marketing campaign with a runner-up on the NCAA Championship. He then certified for the U.S. Open, made the ultimate eight of the Western Beginner, reached match play on the U.S. Beginner after which opened his junior yr with a third-place displaying on the Inverness Intercollegiate.
James has an out of doors shot at a PGA Tour card subsequent summer season, too, as he at present sits at 11 PGA Tour College Accelerated factors. He will get a degree for each made lower on Tour, and a further level for a Tour top-10. He can also earn three factors apiece for profitable the NCAA particular person title, Haskins Award (nationwide faculty participant of the yr, voted on by gamers and coaches), Nicklaus Award (nationwide faculty participant of the yr, voted on by a committee) and Hogan Award (nationwide newbie participant of the yr, contains all outcomes and voted on by a committee).
Virginia, which captured the workforce title at Inverness, ended up T-3 with Auburn, 11 pictures again of Oklahoma, which beat runner-up Ole Miss by six pictures.
