Virginia couldn’t overcome a rough third round at the 2026 NCAA Championship, and was eliminated on Monday after missing out on a spot in the top eight of the 30-team field.
The 2026 ACC champs finished 11th, three shots out of a five-way tie for seventh – UCLA and Stanford ultimately emerged from that group to advance to the match-play portion of the NCAA Championship, which begins today.
Ben James, who had a record-setting performance in the NCAA Regionals two weeks ago, finished in a tie for 16th with a five-under 283.
That finish gives James the #1 spot on the PGA Tour University ranking, meaning, he has earned his PGA Tour card for the remainder of the 2026 season and the entire 2027 season.
Paul Chang ranked 13th and Bryan Lee finished 17th in the rankings to each earn PGA Tour Americas membership.
Virginia was one of three schools to have three players earn tour cards on Monday through PGA Tour University.
James’ final round as a Cavalier was a 3-under 69, tied for the fifth lowest in the field. The senior had four birdies including two in his last four holes to help Virginia stay in the race for the final spot.
Lee, also a four-time competitor at the NCAA Championship, was 1-under on Monday with a 71. He also did his part down the stretch, carding three of his four birdies on his final nine holes.
Lee finished in a tie for 28th, his second highest finish at NCAAs.
Chang and freshman Michael Lee were each one-over for the day. Chang managed four birdies on his scorecard against four bogeys and a double bogey.
Leaderboard
| PL | TEAM | RD 1 | RD 2 | RD 3 | RD 4 | TOTAL | TO PAR |
| 1. | Auburn | 284 | 272 | 286 | 284 | 1126 | -26 |
| 2. | Texas | 287 | 277 | 281 | 284 | 1129 | -23 |
| 3 | Vanderbilt | 287 | 277 | 291 | 285 | 1140 | -12 |
| T4. | Florida | 291 | 290 | 284 | 276 | 1141 | -11 |
| T4. | Oklahoma State | 295 | 274 | 287 | 285 | 1141 | -11 |
| 6. | Arizona | 287 | 285 | 285 | 293 | 1149 | -3 |
| T7. | Stanford | 291 | 286 | 289 | 284 | 1150 | -2 |
| T7. | UCLA | 280 | 289 | 287 | 294 | 1150 | -2 |
| T7. | North Carolina | 287 | 288 | 283 | 292 | 1150 | -2 |
| T7. | Tennessee | 292 | 287 | 287 | 284 | 1150 | -2 |
| 11. | Virginia | 288 | 284 | 293 | 288 | 1153 | +1 |
| 12. | LSU | 303 | 293 | 270 | 289 | 1155 | +3 |
| 13. | Duke | 286 | 286 | 291 | 293 | 1156 | +4 |
| 14. | Oklahoma | 292 | 284 | 288 | 293 | 1157 | +5 |
| 15. | San Diego | 286 | 291 | 289 | 310 | 1176 | +24 |
| — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 16. | Pepperdine | 285 | 290 | 293 | MC | 868 | +4 |
| 17. | Mississippi State | 298 | 294 | 279 | MC | 871 | +7 |
| 18. | BYU | 296 | 290 | 287 | MC | 873 | +9 |
| 19. | Arkansas | 288 | 298 | 288 | MC | 874 | +10 |
| 20. | Georgia | 292 | 291 | 293 | MC | 876 | +12 |
| 21. | Arizona State | 291 | 293 | 293 | MC | 877 | +13 |
| 22. | Arkansas State | 295 | 287 | 297 | MC | 879 | +15 |
| 23. | Purdue | 296 | 295 | 289 | MC | 880 | +16 |
| 24. | Louisville | 294 | 296 | 291 | MC | 881 | +17 |
| 25. | Texas A&M | 299 | 289 | 294 | MC | 882 | +18 |
| T26. | Ole Miss | 303 | 293 | 288 | MC | 884 | +20 |
| T26. | Chattanooga | 294 | 285 | 305 | MC | 884 | +20 |
| 28. | Memphis | 301 | 293 | 293 | MC | 887 | +23 |
| 29. | Southern California | 297 | 300 | 293 | MC | 890 | +26 |
| 30. | Florida State | 307 | 292 | 300 | MC | 899 | +35 |
*Stanford (8th) and UCLA (7th) advanced to match play after a four-team playoff
Virginia
| PL | PLAYER | RD 1 | RD 2 | RD 3 | RD 4 | TOTAL | TO PAR |
| T16. | Ben James | 68 | 74 | 72 | 69 | 283 | -5 |
| T28. | Bryan Lee | 71 | 71 | 74 | 71 | 287 | -1 |
| T61. | Paul Chang | 79 | 67 | 74 | 74 | 294 | +6 |
| T65. | Josh Duangmanee | 72 | 72 | 76 | 75 | 295 | +7 |
| T72. | Michael Lee | 77 | 74 | 73 | 74 | 298 | +10 |
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Chris Graham
