PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. — Benjamin James had a word for it.
“Magic,” said the winner of the 2021 Junior Players Championship on Sunday, after a closing 68 at the TPC Sawgrass Players Stadium Course gave him a four-shot victory over U.S. Junior Amateur champion Nicholas Dunlap, at 8-under-par 208.
James, a high school senior from Milford, Connecticut, who is headed for the University of Virginia next year, pulled away from a three-way battle with Dunlap (74) and Bryan Lee of Fairfax, Virginia, (71) at the turn with a four-hole stretch of three birdies and an eagle between Nos. 9 and 12.
Dunlap, the 36-hole leader, birdied No 18 to break from a three-way tie at 3-under with Lee and Jonathan Griz of Hilton Head, South Carolina, (71).
James is ranked sixth in both the American Junior Golf Association Polo Rankings and the Golfweek/Sagarin rankings. He’s won twice this year, both tournaments coming back-to-back in May.
But he finished second in the Junior PGA and the Polo Junior Classic at Liberty National and was getting restless.
“I was tired of coming in second,” he said. “I really wanted this so bad. It means a lot.”
James arrived two days before the first round and spent hours on the TPC Sawgrass range trying to find an element to his game that had been missing in two previous pedestrian starts in the Junior Players: drive the ball with a fade and draw on command.
“It was one event where I couldn’t get off the tee,” James said. “I was able to move the ball both ways with my tee shot this time and putted a lot better.”
James bided his time with rounds of 69 and 71. He was even-par through eight holes on Sunday and stood on the ninth tee two shots behind Dunlap.
James then needed only 13 strokes to complete the next four holes.
It began with a two-putt for birdie at the par-5 ninth hole that James within a shot of Dunlap and Lee at 4-under. James then dropped a 6-foot birdie putt at No. 10 to make it a three-way tie.
He smacked a 6-iron from 190 yards out to 12 feet at the par-5 11th to set up an easy two-putt for birdie to take the lead when Lee bogeyed and Dunlap parred.
James then delivered the shot of the day: with the tee at the par-4 12th hole moved up to 275 yards, James drove the green with a 3-wood, with the ball nestling 4 feet from hole. He made the putt to get to 8-under.
“I had been pulling my 3-wood this week, so I just aimed further right,” he said. “It turned out good.”
James had only one blip the rest of a hot, breezy day when he had his first three-putt of the tournament at No. 14, missing an 18-incher for par.
Dunlap parred and was only one back.
James then came through with the clincher, a 9-iron from 145 yards out at No. 15, followed by a 15-foot birdie putt. He was so excited that he hit the brake on his pull cart too hard, breaking it from the cable attaching it to the wheels.
An AJGA official took the cart away and James had to carry his bag the last three holes.
He did what every Players Championship winner has tried to do with a big lead: play the last three holes of the Stadium Course with extreme care. James missed the fairway right at No. 16, pulled his second shot onto a bank near the green to leave himself with a downhill lie, but chipped safely on and two-putted for par.
He found dry land at the Island Green and two-putted from 45 feet, then hit the 18th fairway, laid up to the front fringe, chipped to 6 feet and made the par putt.
“It’s crazy,” he said. “I’ve been playing well but haven’t been getting it done. To do it now means the world to me.”