A Kid
From Cary

Every player who's chasing a professional career started somewhere ordinary. James Rico started in Cary, North Carolina, betting on himself long before anyone else was watching.

Golf rewards patience, and Rico's path has needed plenty of it. Rather than take the safest or most direct route through college golf, he transferred into UNC Wilmington as a senior, a decision that meant proving himself all over again in a new program with a single season to do it.

It turned into the best season of his career. A CAA Individual Championship, a conference scoring record, CAA Golfer of the Year honors, and a trip to the NCAA Regional as UNCW made its first appearance in the tournament since 2023.

Betting on Himself

That's the throughline of Rico's game: a willingness to make the harder decision when it gives him a better shot at the outcome he actually wants. It's the same mentality now carrying him from the amateur ranks toward professional golf.

The full body of work, the record, the ranking, the results, lives on the Record page. This page is just about where it started.