GREENSBORO, N.C. — Ben James gave himself a chance to make an extraordinary leap from college golf to the PGA TOUR postseason, opening the Wyndham Championship with a 62 on Thursday at Sedgefield Country Club.

The former Virginia standout eagled both par 5s and briefly shared the lead with Beau Hossler before a late stumble kept him from taking sole possession.

James, the No. 1 player in the 2026 PGA TOUR University ranking, earned a TOUR card through the program. But to crack the top 70 in the FedExCup standings and qualify for the playoffs, he needs to win this week’s tournament.

He was tied with Hossler until a bogey-birdie-bogey finish. James missed 6-foot par putts on the 16th and 18th after three-putting the 16th from just inside 25 feet, leaving him one shot behind the leader.

He had earlier surged into contention with a 15-foot eagle putt on the par-5 15th.

“Every week someone always shoots anywhere from 63 to 60 or 59 the first day, so it’s always there. You just try to put yourself in position, play the best you can,” James said.

Hossler, who entered the week No. 122 in the FedExCup standings, also needs a victory to reach next week’s FedEx St. Jude Championship. He opened with four straight birdies and finished with a 30-foot eagle putt on the 15th before closing with a 62.

“Try and win a golf tournament,” Hossler said. “That’s all there is to it.”

James isn’t the only recent college player chasing a postseason spot. Jackson Koivun, who earned his TOUR card through the accelerated PGA TOUR University program, entered the week at No. 70 and shot 67.

Koivun clinched his card as a sophomore and deferred it for a year. He is in a stronger position than James to make the playoffs after winning the 3M Open two weeks ago.

Sahith Theegala, already safely inside the postseason at No. 43, produced one of the day’s wildest rounds. He opened with six straight birdies and made eight birdies against one bogey on the front nine before making pars on the first eight holes of the back nine. A birdie on 18 gave him a 62.

“Pretty wild. I’ve never had a round like that,” Theegala said.

Eric Cole shot 63 to sit fourth, while six players carded 64s, including Matti Schmid, who entered the week No. 67 and is not yet assured of a playoff spot.

Brooks Koepka, who returned to the PGA TOUR this year after four seasons with LIV Golf, shot 67 and remains in need of a strong finish to make the postseason.

The Wyndham Championship is the final event of the PGA TOUR regular season, with the top 70 in the FedExCup standings advancing to the playoffs.

For James, the stakes are even more intriguing. His PGA TOUR University ranking guarantees him a TOUR card through 2027, regardless of what happens this week. But a victory at Sedgefield would give the 22-year-old a remarkable route from college golf to the FedExCup Playoffs in barely two months as a professional.