Ben James left a glittering college career at the University of Virginia behind after finishing top of the 2026 PGA Tour University.
That gave him a PGA Tour card until the end of the 2027 season – not that it was his first experience of the big time.
James had already made nine PGA Tour starts as an amateur by that stage, with a best finish of T33 at the 2025 Valero Texas Open suggesting he was more than capable of living up to his billing as a future star.
Still, clearly James wasn’t leaving anything to chance for his first foray into life as a fully fledged PGA Tour pro, recruiting veteran caddie Tim Tucker for the task at the 2026 RBC Canadian Open just days after leaving the amateur game behind.
However, given Tucker’s record, perhaps it wasn’t all that surprising either.
Famously, Tucker was Bryson DeChambeau’s caddie when he won the 2020 US Open. The pair parted ways the following year (although they have linked up again since), but it wasn’t too long until Tucker was working his magic again.
By 2023, he was caddying for Kurt Kitayama, and with his help, he won one of the PGA Tour’s biggest tournaments, the Arnold Palmer Invitational at Bay Hill.
Among the other players Tucker has worked with are Adam Svensson, Gary Woodland, Tony Finau and LPGA Tour legend Lexi Thompson, adding to his credentials.
The benefit of that vast know-how is now assisting a player without the experience of those stars, but with bags of potential.
Considering how well the pair began in James’ maiden PGA Tour start since joining the professional ranks, it appears Tucker could be the man to help him bring it to fruition.
