Men’s Golf: James selected to U.S. Walker Cup squad

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Posted on Monday, Aug. 21, 2023, 6:42 pm

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Courtesy UVA Media Relations

Virginia men’s golfer Ben James was named to the United States Golf Association’s Walker Cup team on Sunday. James was one of six players announced Sunday following the conclusion of the U.S. Amateur Championship.

Also named were Nick Gabrelcik, Austin Greaser, Stewart Hagestad, Dylan Menante and Preston Summerhays.

Those six players join Nick Dunlap, David Ford, Gordon Sargent and Caleb Surratt, all of whom were previously selected to the team. Michael Thorbjornsen, who earned a place on the team as one of the top three Americans in the World Amateur Golf Ranking as of June 21, withdrew earlier this month due to a back injury.

The USA Team will compete against Great Britain and Ireland in the 49th Walker Cup Match on Sept. 2-3 at the Old Course in St. Andrews, Scotland.

“These six players are outstanding additions to round out this year’s team,” said Mike McCoy, captain of the USA Team. “This group of players has earned the opportunity to be part of this team and I’m thrilled to see their hard work rewarded. I am beyond excited to have our full team set as we begin to prepare for the Old Course.”

James advanced to the quarterfinals of this week’s U.S. Amateur, falling in 19 holes to Parker Bell. James is coming off an accolade-filled freshman year at Virginia, where he was named winner of the 2023 Phil Mickelson Outstanding Freshman Award, a First-Team Ping All-American, ACC Freshman of the Year and a finalist for both the Haskins and Jack Nicklaus Awards.

He finished sixth at the NCAA Championships, set the UVA record with five first-place finishes and finished in the top six in 11 of 13 tournaments. James is only the second player in Virginia history to earn first-team All-America honors. He was also selected to the 2023 U.S. Palmer Cup Team. He received a sponsor exemption to play in the 2023 Travelers Championship in his home state of Connecticut.

The Walker Cup Match is a 10-man amateur team competition between the USA and Great Britain and Ireland. The Match is played over two days with 18 singles matches and eight foursomes (alternate-shot) matches. The Old Course has hosted eight previous Walker Cups, more than any other venue, most recently in 1975, when the USA defeated GB&I, 15 1/2-8 1/2, led by future U.S. Open champions Jerry Pate and Curtis Strange.