Chambana Sun

Illinois men's golf has announced the addition of two new recruits to its roster for the 2026-27 season. Head coach Mike Small confirmed on Wednesday that Le Khanh Hung from Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, and Harrison Zipfel from St. Louis, Missouri, have signed with the Fighting Illini.

"With Harrison and Hung signing with our program today, the future of Illini golf remains very bright," said Small. "Both of these players are loaded with talent, they have strong junior golf and amateur resumes, and their work ethics and competitive demeanors will fit in perfectly with our program."

Le Khanh Hung is currently ranked No. 172 in the World Amateur Golf Rankings. He recently tied for fifth at the Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship in the United Arab Emirates and won medalist honors at the Campeonato Nacional Copa Juan Sebastian Munoz in Colombia. Le also helped Vietnam win its first Nomura Cup as part of the Asia-Pacific Amateur Golf Team Championship and represented the International Team at the Junior Presidents Cup in Quebec, Canada. His achievements include a gold medal at the 2023 Southeast Asia Games, an individual title at the 2023 Lexus Challenge, his first victory on the Veterans Golf Association Tour, and a national title at the 2022 Vietnam Amateur Matchplay Championship.

"I chose Illinois because I love the team culture and cohesiveness built by Coach Small and his staff. Everyone that is involved with the program wants to be the best version of themselves, and I want to be in that kind of environment," said Le.

Coach Small described Le as "an impressive young athlete with skill and potential that are unique to a person his age." He added: "Hung did not play a ton of junior golf in America and was an 'under-the-radar' player for most of his junior career, and our staff did a wonderful job of identifying him and recruiting him. He has played all over the world, and he has shown that he can compete at the highest levels of both junior and amateur golf. With Hung's elite skill and champion mindset, his learning curve will be very steep here at Illinois, and we can't wait to see what he can accomplish in college golf."

Harrison Zipfel is currently ranked No. 35 overall in the American Junior Golf Association (AJGA) rankings and No. 18 in his class for 2026. He has won four AJGA events including two victories in 2025: AJGA Junior at Geneva and AJGA NW Arkansas Junior. Zipfel also recorded top-five finishes at other major tournaments this year. In high school competition for St. Louis University High School, he led his team to its first Missouri Class 5A State Championship since 1952 while winning individual honors with a record-setting score.

"I chose Illinois because I want to play and grow under the best coach in the country, Mike Small, to be part of an environment that challenges me to improve every day, and to win a national championship," said Zipfel.

Small commented on Zipfel's attributes: "Harrison brings athleticism, maturity, discipline, and a very strong work ethic to college golf. He showed us a lot about his resiliency and his discipline when fought through injury in 2024. To come back and have multiple wins this season shows a lot about his character and commitment to both his game and his growth. Harrison possesses the physical attributes that are needed to play at this level, and his total package as a competitor will help him adapt to high-level college golf very successfully."