University of Delaware Athletics
Sparky Ariyachatvakin Having Strong Start to Professional Career
6/27/2025 2:54:00 PM | Men's Golf
NEWARK, Del. – University of Delaware men's golf alum Sparky Ariyachatvakin has had a busy year since his last appearance with the Blue & Gold. Following his graduation in 2024, Ariyachatvakin returned home to Thailand to begin his professional career on the All-Thailand Golf Tour, earned his tour card and full playing status, and recently picked up his first professional victory.
The last time Delaware fans saw Ariyachatvakin in a Delaware uniform was last spring at the 2024 PGA WORKS Championship at TPC Sawgrass. He finished fifth, after becoming the first Blue Hen to win the event in 2022 and a runner-up finish in 2023. This year, he was able to watch from afar as his former teammate, Egor Zubov, who had played with him at TPC Sawgrass, cruised to a three-stroke victory at Whistling Straits to become the second PGA WORKS Collegiate Champion from Delaware.
"I feel like yesterday, I was still in Delaware," Ariyachatvakin said. "Now, I finally get to do my dream job, play golf for a living. It's looking like its working out pretty well. So far so good."
Ariyachatvakin played in all 89 of the team rounds during his career at Delaware and recorded 37 rounds under par. He finished with the second-best career stroke average (72.11) in program history and holds three of the top-10 marks for single-season stroke average.
"I would say the experience that I gained from college golf, playing different golf courses in different parts of the world to managing my time when we travel has gotten me ready for this moment. I learned a lot, especially from our coaches. They taught me how to keep my stats, how to track and always keep improving the game in different ways and about the physical side - workouts and recovery. I think all the facilities at UD helped me a lot to get ready to be a professional golfer, and that made me one step ahead of the other people that didn't play college golf."
Last May, after his graduation from UD, Ariyachatvakin returned home to Thailand to begin playing on the All-Thailand Golf Tour as a professional. His career started out well with four-straight top-25 finishes, but he still was not ranked among the top-60 on the tour, which meant he had to play in a series of qualifying tournaments, known as Q School, during the winter to earn his tour card for the 2025 season.
"At the end of the year, only 60 guys on every tour get to keep cards and secure their status to play every tournament next year. From 60 and below, they have to play Q School. I finished first at the Q School to earn a tour card. Four months after that, somehow I was able to win the first pro event in my life."
With his tour card and full status on the All-Thailand Tour attained for 2025, Ariyachatvakin is able to enter into each of the tour's professional tournaments. On the first weekend of May, he played in the Singha Chiang Mai Open and carded a 16-under par for his first professional victory. Playing a par-70 course, with only two par-5 holes, Ariyachatvakin was 2-over after the first day and was battling to make the cut line on the second day. He then fired three-consecutive rounds of 6-under par, taking the lead for good on the final day.
"I shot 2-over in the first round, and the cut line was around 2-under. After my first round, I was still thinking that I might miss the cut, I didn't think about winning or anything. I had played a couple tournaments before that, and I feel like I gained a lot of confidence before playing this tournament. It showed me that I'm working the right way and what I'm doing is right."
Ariyachatvakin has had good experiences at the Singha Chiang Mai Open, having played in the tournament in two of the previous three seasons as an amateur. In both 2022 and 2024 he had earned the honor of low amateur finisher, placing 14th overall last season.
"This golf course suits me pretty well. But that's not the main reason that I won a tournament. I would say I like this golf course and I believe that I'm going to play well because I have some good memories in this golf course and this tournament."
Since turning pro, along with his continuous work on the golf course, Ariyachatvakin has put a particular emphasis on the mental preparation of the game. He has started working with a golf psychologist that has helped him focus on staying present and in the moment. It is this thought process that has helped Ariyachatvakin to such a successful start as a professional.
"I changed my mind a little bit about golf. It's golf, it's not always about trying to be perfect or trying to make birdie or trying to hit the good shot. Sometimes it's how you manage your mistake, and that has helped me a lot.
"I remember one time talking to my psychologist and I told her 'I feel like right now my game is getting pretty good and I know in the future I'm going to be in the mix. I'm going to be up there in the final group in the final round and I want you to get me ready for that moment. Because I knew that if I'm not getting ready for that moment, I'm not going to handle the pressure.'"
Ariyachatvakin hopes that his win will propel him to future success and that he can continue to improve his World Golf Ranking. This past winter, he also played in the Q School for the Asian Tour, one of the top professional tours behind the PGA Tour and European Tour. While he did not earn his tour card there, he was given partial status on the Asian Development Tour (ADT), which is similar to the Korn Ferry Tour in the U.S. – a sort of minor league for the PGA Tour.
"The plan for me, next year, is to try to be on the Asian Tour. And if I keep my card on the Asian Tour, maybe I try European Tour or maybe Korn Ferry. Who knows? Just take it step-by-step."
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The last time Delaware fans saw Ariyachatvakin in a Delaware uniform was last spring at the 2024 PGA WORKS Championship at TPC Sawgrass. He finished fifth, after becoming the first Blue Hen to win the event in 2022 and a runner-up finish in 2023. This year, he was able to watch from afar as his former teammate, Egor Zubov, who had played with him at TPC Sawgrass, cruised to a three-stroke victory at Whistling Straits to become the second PGA WORKS Collegiate Champion from Delaware.
"I feel like yesterday, I was still in Delaware," Ariyachatvakin said. "Now, I finally get to do my dream job, play golf for a living. It's looking like its working out pretty well. So far so good."
Ariyachatvakin played in all 89 of the team rounds during his career at Delaware and recorded 37 rounds under par. He finished with the second-best career stroke average (72.11) in program history and holds three of the top-10 marks for single-season stroke average.
"I would say the experience that I gained from college golf, playing different golf courses in different parts of the world to managing my time when we travel has gotten me ready for this moment. I learned a lot, especially from our coaches. They taught me how to keep my stats, how to track and always keep improving the game in different ways and about the physical side - workouts and recovery. I think all the facilities at UD helped me a lot to get ready to be a professional golfer, and that made me one step ahead of the other people that didn't play college golf."
Last May, after his graduation from UD, Ariyachatvakin returned home to Thailand to begin playing on the All-Thailand Golf Tour as a professional. His career started out well with four-straight top-25 finishes, but he still was not ranked among the top-60 on the tour, which meant he had to play in a series of qualifying tournaments, known as Q School, during the winter to earn his tour card for the 2025 season.
"At the end of the year, only 60 guys on every tour get to keep cards and secure their status to play every tournament next year. From 60 and below, they have to play Q School. I finished first at the Q School to earn a tour card. Four months after that, somehow I was able to win the first pro event in my life."
With his tour card and full status on the All-Thailand Tour attained for 2025, Ariyachatvakin is able to enter into each of the tour's professional tournaments. On the first weekend of May, he played in the Singha Chiang Mai Open and carded a 16-under par for his first professional victory. Playing a par-70 course, with only two par-5 holes, Ariyachatvakin was 2-over after the first day and was battling to make the cut line on the second day. He then fired three-consecutive rounds of 6-under par, taking the lead for good on the final day.
"I shot 2-over in the first round, and the cut line was around 2-under. After my first round, I was still thinking that I might miss the cut, I didn't think about winning or anything. I had played a couple tournaments before that, and I feel like I gained a lot of confidence before playing this tournament. It showed me that I'm working the right way and what I'm doing is right."
Ariyachatvakin has had good experiences at the Singha Chiang Mai Open, having played in the tournament in two of the previous three seasons as an amateur. In both 2022 and 2024 he had earned the honor of low amateur finisher, placing 14th overall last season.
"This golf course suits me pretty well. But that's not the main reason that I won a tournament. I would say I like this golf course and I believe that I'm going to play well because I have some good memories in this golf course and this tournament."
Since turning pro, along with his continuous work on the golf course, Ariyachatvakin has put a particular emphasis on the mental preparation of the game. He has started working with a golf psychologist that has helped him focus on staying present and in the moment. It is this thought process that has helped Ariyachatvakin to such a successful start as a professional.
"I changed my mind a little bit about golf. It's golf, it's not always about trying to be perfect or trying to make birdie or trying to hit the good shot. Sometimes it's how you manage your mistake, and that has helped me a lot.
"I remember one time talking to my psychologist and I told her 'I feel like right now my game is getting pretty good and I know in the future I'm going to be in the mix. I'm going to be up there in the final group in the final round and I want you to get me ready for that moment. Because I knew that if I'm not getting ready for that moment, I'm not going to handle the pressure.'"
Ariyachatvakin hopes that his win will propel him to future success and that he can continue to improve his World Golf Ranking. This past winter, he also played in the Q School for the Asian Tour, one of the top professional tours behind the PGA Tour and European Tour. While he did not earn his tour card there, he was given partial status on the Asian Development Tour (ADT), which is similar to the Korn Ferry Tour in the U.S. – a sort of minor league for the PGA Tour.
"The plan for me, next year, is to try to be on the Asian Tour. And if I keep my card on the Asian Tour, maybe I try European Tour or maybe Korn Ferry. Who knows? Just take it step-by-step."
FOLLOW ON SOCIAL
For the latest on Delaware men's golf, follow the Blue Hens on X, Instagram, and like on Facebook.
Players Mentioned
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