(November 15, 2022) – The USGA has announced that Ben James will be one of the 16 players invited to the 2023 Walker Cup practice session set to be held from December 15-18 in Jupiter, Florida.
A standout junior player, James is no stranger to representing Team USA. He was a member of the victorious 2019 U.S. Junior Presidents Cup team and in 2021 although the team didn’t compete he made the U.S. Junior Ryder Cup squad.
The 2019 Connecticut Junior Amateur winner began his career at the University of Virginia this fall and he has been stellar. He won his first event, the Streamsong Invitational with a school record 20-under par finish, and then a few weeks later he won again at the Hamptons Intercollegiate.
James, one of two freshmen invited to the practice session, is currently the 21st ranked player in the World Amateur Golf Rankings.
The additional players invited to the practice session include:
- Evan Beck, 32, of Virginia Beach, Va. (Wake Forest, class of 2013)
- Michael Brennan, 20, of Leesburg, Va. (Wake Forest, junior)
- David Ford, 20, of Peachtree Corners, Ga. (North Carolina, sophomore)
- Nicholas Gabrelcik, 20, of Trinity, Fla. (North Florida, junior)
- Stewart Hagestad, 31, of Newport Beach, Calif. (Southern Cal, class of 2013)
- Derek Hitchner, 23, of Minneapolis, Minn. (Pepperdine, graduate student)
- Palmer Jackson, 21, of Murrysville, Pa. (Notre Dame, senior)
- Bryce Lewis, 22, of Hendersonville, Tenn. (Tennessee, junior)
- Dylan Menante, 21, of Carlsbad, Calif. (North Carolina, senior)
- Maxwell Moldovan, 20, of Uniontown, Ohio (Ohio State, junior)
- Gordon Sargent, 19, of Birmingham, Ala. (Vanderbilt, sophomore)
- Cole Sherwood, 20, of Austin, Texas (Vanderbilt, senior)
- Ross Steelman, 21, of Atlanta, Ga. (Georgia Tech, senior)
- Caleb Surratt, 18, of Indian Trail, N.C. (Tennessee, freshman)
- Michael Thorbjornsen, 21, of Wellesley, Mass. (Stanford, junior)
The 49th Walker Cup Match will be held on September 2-3 at the Old Course in St. Andrews, Scotland. Mike McCoy will captain the team as they go up against Great Britain and Ireland. Team USA won the 2021 Walker Cup 14-12.
Hero Photo courtesy of the University of Virginia
About the Connecticut State Golf Association
The Connecticut State Golf Association functions as an extension of the USGA and provides stewardship for amateur golf in Connecticut. Founded in 1899, it is the country’s oldest state golf association and conducts over 60 Championships, Qualifiers, and One Day Tournaments throughout the year.
