Courtesy UVA Media Relations

Senior Ben James shot a 5-under, 66 on Monday and owns a share of the 18-hole individual lead after day one at the NCAA Winston-Salem Regional. The Cavaliers are 13-under and hold a two-shot advantage on second-place Pepperdine.

All five Cavaliers in the lineup shot under par, and James is joined in the top 10 by Bryan Lee and Paul Chang. Virginia is the only school in the 14-team field with three players in the top 10 and five players in the top 20. The opening round of 271 was tied for the third-lowest score at an NCAA Regional in program history.

James nearly played a mistake-free round and is tied with playing partner Mahanth Chirravuri (Pepperdine) for the individual lead. James carded his second-lowest round of the season, and it marked the fourth time in his career he has posted a 66 or better in an NCAA Regional round. James totaled six birdies on the day against just one bogey. Four of his six birdies came in the final eight holes, including his final two holes of the day.

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Chang, last year’s NCAA Reno Regional medalist, opened with a 3-under 68. He added to his career-high, 11 rounds in the 60s this season. All four of his birdies came on a six-hole stretch that began on No. 6. Bryan Lee matched Chang with a 3-under, 68. He now has a round in the 60s in four consecutive events and a total of 12 on the year.

Some early fireworks came out of the bag of Michael Lee, who was in the first group out at 7:30 a.m. on Monday. The first year was 5-under through his first nine holes, which included three birdies as well as an eagle on the par-5, fourth hole. He finished the day with a 2-under 69, the lowest by a Cavalier freshman at an NCAA Regional since his brother Bryan and Ben James in 2023.

UP NEXT

Tee times for the Cavaliers will begin at 7:30 a.m. on Tuesday morning. The top five teams and the low individual not on those teams from the Winston-Salem Regional advance to the finals on May 29-June 3 at Omni La Costa Resort & Spa in Carlsbad, Calif.

The co-leader after round ☝️ in Winston-Salem! #GoHoos pic.twitter.com/bEUUQxCLH0

— Virginia Men’s Golf (@UVAMensGolf) May 18, 2026

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If you want even more award-winning coverage on the UVA athletics department, including its nationally-ranked football and basketball programs, be sure to subscribe to “Cavalier Exclusive” to follow all of Virginia Sports Hall Of Famer Jerry “Hootie” Ratcliffe’s analysis and content. It’s the best in the business for Wahoo Fans!