Virginia’s Ben James falls just short of NCAA title due to slow play penalty

Slow pace in the NCAA Tournament. Nightmare fuel for any UVA fan. This time, it wasn’t basketball, and in this particular sport, the lower you score, the happier you are and the happier the viewers are.

Virginia Cavaliers second-year golfer Ben James had quite the showing in Carlsbad, California, over Memorial Day weekend. The star from Milford, Connecticut fired an opening day 1-over 73 on Friday, followed by 1-under 71 on Saturday to put him at even par heading into the final two days of the championship.

James continued to fight over the holiday weekend, grinding out a 3-under 69 on Saturday, which put him in a great position to make a push to become the 2024 NCAA Division One Men’s Champion.