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26 CAVALIER CORNER BY JIM DAVES T he similari- ties between Virginia golfers Amanda Sam- bach and Ben James this sea- son have been quite remarkable. Both opened their seasons with victories, both set their program's single-season wins record, both posted all-time best single-season scor- ing averages, both set UVA tournament scoring marks and both won their respective NCAA Regional. While Sambach was the ACC individual cham- pion, James was voted the league's Freshman of the Year. Both were ranked in the top 10 nationally, and both led their teams to the NCAA Championships. This summer, both will compete for the United States team in the Arnold Palmer Cup, a Ryder Cup- style championship between the top amateur players from the United States and Europe. Sambach is a second-year who hails from Pinehurst, N.C., while James is a first-year from Milford, Conn. Aside from their mirror-like statistics and accolades, they also share similar humble ap- proaches to their golf games. "I think that's always been kind of how I am," Sambach said about her reserved na- ture. "I hate talking about myself." "That's me by nature," echoed James. "Golf, it's a very humbling game in general. You have got to keep your head down and just keep working at it and keep trusting in your process and your practice. "I'm a pretty humble guy. I don't go out and post a lot on social media. That's not really me. I just try to be myself." James made a quick impact in his colle- giate debut. He shot 20-under-par 196 to win the Streamsong Invitational, setting the UVA tournament scoring record in the process. Was he surprised by his debut? Not really. "I wouldn't say I surprised myself because I played there a couple of years ago [as a high school junior] and ended up winning there," James said. "I knew the golf course, and I knew it was pretty scorable. I did sur- prise myself in that I didn't make a bogey." That's right. In his first college outing, James played all 54 holes without a single bogey. Meanwhile, in her 2022-23 season opener, Sambach won the highly competi- tive ANNIKA Intercollegiate, whose name- sake, Annika Sörenstam, is regarded as one of the best women's golfers in history. Playing in the final group, making a birdie on the last hole and being doused with water by her teammates were memorable moments, but the highlight for Sambach was being pre- sented the winner's trophy from Sörenstam. "It was unreal," Sambach said with a huge grin. "I mean, she's literally the great- est of all time. Her handing me the trophy was pretty surreal." James went on to post three more regular- season first-place finishes, one of them at UVA's own Lewis Chitengwa Memorial. At the ACC Championships he shot 7-under 209 and finished third. Heading into the NCAA MIRRORING MIRRORING SUCCESS SUCCESS UVA Golfers Ben James And Amanda Sambach Have Both Put Together Outstanding Seasons At the NCAA Regional in Las Vegas, James shot a 20-under- par 196 to share medalist honors as a first-year. That was the best performance ever by a Cavalier at a regional site. (Photo by Jim Daves/courtesy UVA)