University of Delaware Athletics
Zubov, Kim Become Second Duo to Sweep PGA WORKS Collegiate Championship
5/16/2025 3:14:00 PM | Men's Golf, Women's Golf
NEWARK, Del. – Earlier this month, two University of Delaware golfers did something that had only been done once before in the history of the PGA WORKS Collegiate Championship. Playing at the renowned Whistling Straits in Kohler, Wisconsin, which has hosted three PGA Championships and the 2021 Ryder Cup, senior Egor Zubov and freshman Hyunji Kim swept the individual titles. It was the second time that a school has swept the individual championships as the Blue Hens joined Bethune-Cookman in 2000.
Zubov carded back-to-back rounds of 5-under par 67 to open the tournament and led wire-to-wire to win the men's individual title. He held off a late charge from teammate Arsit Areephun, who finished in second. Zubov's three-round total of 210 was the lowest winning score by a PGA WORKS Men's Collegiate Champion since 2017 and is tied for the fourth-lowest 54-hole score in the tournament's history. He is also the second Delaware individual men's champion, joining former teammate Sparky Ariyachatvakin who won the tournament in 2022.
"Making that last putt was very calm, surprisingly," Zubov said. "I didn't feel like a huge wave of excitement or anything, I was just happy. I started reflecting on my four years at Delaware and my whole college career."
In stark contrast, Kim put together a comeback for the ages for her victory. Never sitting outside the top-three in the standings, Kim was in second place entering the final round and six shots behind the leader. Playing in very cold and windy conditions, she was eight strokes back after nine holes before embarking on her comeback. She chipped in a birdie on the par-3 12th hole and then sank a long, clutch putt on the 18th to force a playoff. Kim converted a two-putt par on the playoff hole, sinking a four-footer for the win.
"I was being so positive in my head," Kim said. "I was trying to block out all of the cameras, all the people watching me. And then I actually won and it was just unbelievable."
The was Zubov's second appearance at the PGA WORKS, as he competed in the same event last May at TPC Sawgrass in Pontre Vedra Beach, Florida. Playing alongside Ariyachatvakin, he finished in 13th place at 14-over par but gained invaluable experience ahead of this year.
"I feel like coming in last year, it was a big shock in terms of the course, the facilities and the setup," Zubov said. "And with how many people there are, how many cameras, and in that big of like a magnitude of an event, you get very excited and very enthusiastic. In the tournament last year, I felt like I was still a little bit too excited playing the golf course during the tournament rounds instead of focusing on just playing golf. So, I feel like last year helped me come in this year to be more calm and get the excitement out of the golf course."
Heading into this year's tournament, Zubov worked with Delaware Men's Golf Head Coach Brendon Post on his putting and reading the greens. On the first hole of the tournament, he sunk a 20-foot birdie putt that set the tone for him the rest of the way.
"In the practice round, we did something a bit different with our set," said Zubov. "We tried to emphasize practice, especially the speed of the greens and get them dialed pretty well. On the first hole, the speed was perfect, the line was perfect. So I think from the first hole, I knew that it was going to be a good tournament just simply because of how the first one rolled in."
Zubov went on to card a bogey-free 67 in the first round and followed that up with six more birdies on Tuesday to again finish at 5-under par 67 and open up a six-stroke lead on the field. In his final round, Zubov was in the final group alongside Areephun. His teammate closed the gap, but Zubov carded a 4-over par 76 to seal the victory.
"I didn't really look at the leaderboard until I had three or four holes left, just simply to see how far ahead I was," said Zubov. "I knew that my two playing partners were playing pretty well. Having Arsit there was also the best experience and the best I could ask for simply because he was there with me and we could hug it out at the end.
"I feel like it helped a lot having my teammate there and just made it more comfortable. Just standing there in the cold where the wind is pounding you, having somebody that you can talk to you and your friends with just makes it so much easier to pass the time and take your mind off of golf and just focus on being in the present."
Meanwhile, Kim was just a few holes behind playing in the final group of the women's field. After a double bogey at 11, she battled the tough conditions and was even-par the rest of the way with two birdies. Meanwhile, her playing partner and tournament leader, Miu Takahashi of the University of Nebraska, had a quadruple bogey on her card and Kim closed the gap to three strokes heading into the final hole.
"I actually had no idea," Kim said. "I wasn't paying attention to what she was doing, I was so focused on myself and making sure that I was making good decisions and trying to make the right calculations with the wind. So, I actually had no idea how she was doing and like what her score was."
On the 18th hole, Takahashi was in trouble after her second shot while Kim was on the green in two. Needing a birdie to apply pressure, she calmly sank the long putt to finish her round at 5-over par 77. Takahashi ended up with a double bogey as the two finished in a tie.
I was like, 'wow, there's a lot of people around watching me so it would be pretty cool if I holed this putt for birdie.' And then as soon as I hit it, I knew it was a really good strike. I was watching it and knew it was going in. So, I just started walking it in."
After turning in their scorecards, Kim and Takahashi returned to the 10th hole to start the playoff. With Zubov and Areephun following closely, Kim again found the green in two. Takahashi ended up with a bogey, so all Kim needed was a two-putt par. She left her first putt short, then found the back of the cup from five feet away to complete the comeback.
"I just stuck to my routine, stepped over it and hit it and it went in," Kim said. "That moment was insane, it was unreal. Everything, all the tension, just let go and I was like 'I just won, this is incredible.'"
FOLLOW ON SOCIAL
For the latest on Delaware men's golf, follow the Blue Hens on X, Instagram, and like on Facebook.
For the latest on Delaware women's golf, follow the Blue Hens on X, Instagram, and like on Facebook.
Zubov carded back-to-back rounds of 5-under par 67 to open the tournament and led wire-to-wire to win the men's individual title. He held off a late charge from teammate Arsit Areephun, who finished in second. Zubov's three-round total of 210 was the lowest winning score by a PGA WORKS Men's Collegiate Champion since 2017 and is tied for the fourth-lowest 54-hole score in the tournament's history. He is also the second Delaware individual men's champion, joining former teammate Sparky Ariyachatvakin who won the tournament in 2022.
"Making that last putt was very calm, surprisingly," Zubov said. "I didn't feel like a huge wave of excitement or anything, I was just happy. I started reflecting on my four years at Delaware and my whole college career."
In stark contrast, Kim put together a comeback for the ages for her victory. Never sitting outside the top-three in the standings, Kim was in second place entering the final round and six shots behind the leader. Playing in very cold and windy conditions, she was eight strokes back after nine holes before embarking on her comeback. She chipped in a birdie on the par-3 12th hole and then sank a long, clutch putt on the 18th to force a playoff. Kim converted a two-putt par on the playoff hole, sinking a four-footer for the win.
"I was being so positive in my head," Kim said. "I was trying to block out all of the cameras, all the people watching me. And then I actually won and it was just unbelievable."
The was Zubov's second appearance at the PGA WORKS, as he competed in the same event last May at TPC Sawgrass in Pontre Vedra Beach, Florida. Playing alongside Ariyachatvakin, he finished in 13th place at 14-over par but gained invaluable experience ahead of this year.
"I feel like coming in last year, it was a big shock in terms of the course, the facilities and the setup," Zubov said. "And with how many people there are, how many cameras, and in that big of like a magnitude of an event, you get very excited and very enthusiastic. In the tournament last year, I felt like I was still a little bit too excited playing the golf course during the tournament rounds instead of focusing on just playing golf. So, I feel like last year helped me come in this year to be more calm and get the excitement out of the golf course."
Heading into this year's tournament, Zubov worked with Delaware Men's Golf Head Coach Brendon Post on his putting and reading the greens. On the first hole of the tournament, he sunk a 20-foot birdie putt that set the tone for him the rest of the way.
"In the practice round, we did something a bit different with our set," said Zubov. "We tried to emphasize practice, especially the speed of the greens and get them dialed pretty well. On the first hole, the speed was perfect, the line was perfect. So I think from the first hole, I knew that it was going to be a good tournament just simply because of how the first one rolled in."
Zubov went on to card a bogey-free 67 in the first round and followed that up with six more birdies on Tuesday to again finish at 5-under par 67 and open up a six-stroke lead on the field. In his final round, Zubov was in the final group alongside Areephun. His teammate closed the gap, but Zubov carded a 4-over par 76 to seal the victory.
"I didn't really look at the leaderboard until I had three or four holes left, just simply to see how far ahead I was," said Zubov. "I knew that my two playing partners were playing pretty well. Having Arsit there was also the best experience and the best I could ask for simply because he was there with me and we could hug it out at the end.
"I feel like it helped a lot having my teammate there and just made it more comfortable. Just standing there in the cold where the wind is pounding you, having somebody that you can talk to you and your friends with just makes it so much easier to pass the time and take your mind off of golf and just focus on being in the present."
Meanwhile, Kim was just a few holes behind playing in the final group of the women's field. After a double bogey at 11, she battled the tough conditions and was even-par the rest of the way with two birdies. Meanwhile, her playing partner and tournament leader, Miu Takahashi of the University of Nebraska, had a quadruple bogey on her card and Kim closed the gap to three strokes heading into the final hole.
"I actually had no idea," Kim said. "I wasn't paying attention to what she was doing, I was so focused on myself and making sure that I was making good decisions and trying to make the right calculations with the wind. So, I actually had no idea how she was doing and like what her score was."
On the 18th hole, Takahashi was in trouble after her second shot while Kim was on the green in two. Needing a birdie to apply pressure, she calmly sank the long putt to finish her round at 5-over par 77. Takahashi ended up with a double bogey as the two finished in a tie.
I was like, 'wow, there's a lot of people around watching me so it would be pretty cool if I holed this putt for birdie.' And then as soon as I hit it, I knew it was a really good strike. I was watching it and knew it was going in. So, I just started walking it in."
After turning in their scorecards, Kim and Takahashi returned to the 10th hole to start the playoff. With Zubov and Areephun following closely, Kim again found the green in two. Takahashi ended up with a bogey, so all Kim needed was a two-putt par. She left her first putt short, then found the back of the cup from five feet away to complete the comeback.
"I just stuck to my routine, stepped over it and hit it and it went in," Kim said. "That moment was insane, it was unreal. Everything, all the tension, just let go and I was like 'I just won, this is incredible.'"
FOLLOW ON SOCIAL
For the latest on Delaware men's golf, follow the Blue Hens on X, Instagram, and like on Facebook.
For the latest on Delaware women's golf, follow the Blue Hens on X, Instagram, and like on Facebook.
Players Mentioned
/ Men's Golf
/ Men's Golf
/ Women's Golf
/ Men's Golf
Delaware Blue Hens All-Sport Video 2021-22
Friday, December 09
Men's Golf Visits Country House - 2016
Wednesday, October 12
Blue Hens Golf Visits Country House
Tuesday, October 20
Men's Golf CAA Tournament Preview
Monday, April 27
