CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – Illinois head coach Mike Small announced Wednesday (Nov. 12) the signing of two standout junior golfers – Le Khanh Hung (Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam) and Harrison Zipfel (St. Louis, Missouri) – to the Fighting Illini men's golf roster. Le and Zipfel will join the Illini next fall as freshmen for the 2026-27 season.
"With Harrison and Hung signing with our program today, the future of Illini golf remains very bright," Small said. "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 | HO CHI MINH CITY, VIETMAN | MONTVERDE (FLA.) ACADEMY
LE'S HIGHLIGHTS: Le will come to Illinois after completing his prep education at Montverde (Fla.) Academy. A native of Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, he has built an impressive resume of success all around the globe and is currently No. 172 in the World Amateur Golf Rankings. Among his top performances, Le recently finished tied for fifth at the Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship in the United Arab Emirates, just three weeks after claiming medalist honors at the Campeonato Nacional Copa Juan Sebastian Munoz in Colombia. Last year, Le helped Vietnam secure the nations' first Nomura Cup as the winner of the Asia-Pacific Amateur Golf Team Championship, and he was a member of the International Team at the Junior Presidents Cup in Quebec, Canada. In recent years, Le has also claimed the gold medal at the 2023 Southeast Asia Games, won the individual title at the 2023 Lexus Challenge, his first-career victory on the Veterans Golf Association Tour, and the national title at the 2022 Vietnam Amateur Matchplay Championship.
QUOTING LE: "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."
SMALL ON LE: "Hung is an impressive young athlete with skill and potential that are unique to a person, his age. 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 | ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI | ST. LOUIS UNIVERSITY HIGH SCHOOL
ZIPFEL'S HIGHLIGHTS: Zipfel, from nearby St. Louis, Missouri, will join the Fighting Illini as one of the top-ranked golfers in the American Junior Golf Association (AJGA) where he is currently No. 35 overall and No. 18 in the Class of 2026. He is a four-time AJGA winner – including a pair of 2025 events at the AJGA Junior at Geneva and the AJGA NW Arkansas Junior. In addition to his wins this past year, Zipfel has also added two more top-five finishes at the Renewal by Andersen Junior Open (T3) hosted by former Illini D.A. Points, and the Roper Honda AJGA Junior Championship (4). He was recognized as a 2025 Rolex Scholastic Junior All-American. At St. Louis University High School, Zipfel will finish as a four-time letterwinner for the Jr. Billikens. As a junior in 2025, he led the program to the Missouri Class 5A State Championship, the program's first since 1952, while also claiming the individual title with a record-setting two-round score of 12-under 132. He enters his senior season as a three-time all-state and all-metro St. Louis selection and is the reigning All-Metro St. Louis Boys Golfer of the Year.
QUOTING ZIPFEL: "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."
SMALL ON ZIPFEL: "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."
