27 teams and 45 individuals took on Straits and Irish Courses at Whistling Straits in 38th PWCC
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KOHLER, WI / ACCESS Newswire / May 8, 2025 / It was a debut to remember for the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff men's golf team at Whistling Straits.
Competing in its first PGA WORKS Collegiate Championship presented by Chase and Kohler Co., UAPB captured the title in dominating fashion. The Golden Lions (23-over) recorded a wire-to-wire victory as the Men's Division I champions, combining to shoot a final-round 28-over-par 316 on the Straits course and win by 32 over Prairie View A&M University (55-over) and North Carolina A&T State University (55-over), which tied for second.
"Having the opportunity to play this iconic golf course and winning the championship means a lot," said UAPB sophomore Jose Berenguel. "We work hard a lot, had a few good weeks of practicing and the hard work paid off."
Berenguel clinched the Men's Division I medalist title with a three-day score of 7-under-par 209. With a 2-over-par 74 in the final round, he scored a 10-stroke victory.
"It was pretty tough," said Berenguel. "I was just trying to put the ball in play, make up and downs and make some putts."
University of Maryland Eastern Shore freshman Max Osten (3-over) shot a final-round 3-over-par 75 to finish medalist runner-up, while North Carolina A&T State University freshman Javier Morgado Rebollar (4-over) finished third after a 5-over-par 77. Golden Lions sophomore Jules De Reu (7-over) tallied a 10-over-par 82 to finish fourth.
In the Men's Division IIChampionship, Texas A&M International University Coach Parker Holekamp's message to his team was simple: keep your head on straight. If the DustDevils could stay focused amidst the windy conditions at Whistling Straits, Holekamp liked their chances in Wednesday's final round.
TAMIU (60-over) followed their coach's instructions to put up a final-round team score of 32-over-par 320, giving them a seven-stroke win over second-place Fayetteville State University (67-over).
"I feel really honored to be able to come play a championship like this at this quality of a golf course," said Holekamp. "The guys grinded it out and I told them before the round started that whoever was going to come out on top was going to be the team that kept their head on the straightest. So I think they did a good job of that today and I'm proud of them. Today was not easy with the wind."
With a final-round team score of 41-over-par 329, Fayetteville State University was runner-up at 67-over-par 931. First- and second-round leader Kentucky State University (71-over) took third following a 45-over-par 333.
Kentucky State University senior Micah Stangebye (2-over) went wire-to-wire to win the Men's Division II Medalist honors.
Stangebye navigated a roller-coaster back-nine on the Irish, which included bogeys on three of his first four holes. He eagled the par-5 14th before posting back-to-back double bogeys on holes 15-16. Birdies at the par-5 17th and par-5 18th secured the two-stroke victory over TAMIU's Steen.
"I just had to keep my head down, keep fighting," said Stangebye. "Today pars were good, so any pars you could make I was happy with it and didn't make a lot of them, but to finish birdie-birdie, it's a dream come true."
TAMIU senior Noah Campbell recorded his team's low round of the day with a 4-over-par 76 on the Irish course. TAMIU Junior Elvis Steen (4-over) finished runner-up in the Men's Division II medalist race after shooting 7-over-par 79 Wednesday.
"Both the tracks this week were definitely a challenge, and today with 30-mile-an-hour winds and it being a little chilly caused the greens to get pretty fast and tough," said Steen. "I was hanging in there, unfortunately I couldn't grab the top spot individually, but I'm very happy I was able to help our team to victory."
University of Delaware senior Egor Zubov (6-under) captured the Men's Individual Championship title with a final-round 4-over-par 76 at the Straits course.
Zubov, playing in his final collegiate event, opened with a birdie at the par-4 1st. After a bogey at the par-4 4th hole, he responded with another birdie at the par-5 5th. Despite a double bogey on the par-4 8th and three-back nine bogeys, he maintained his three-stroke lead with six pars on the closing holes to win.
"Today, coming in knowing that there was going to be a lot of wind, starting off well, but in the midst of it the wind got harder," said Zubov. "I made a few key mistakes in some sense, but was able to quickly adapt."
University of Delaware sophomore Arsit Areephun (3-under) shot even-par 72 to finish runner-up. Utah Tech University sophomore KJ Ofahengaue (1-under) finished third after posting an even-par 72.
No lead is safe when the wind blows off Lake Michigan at Whistling Straits. Just ask the North Carolina A&T State University women's golf team, which held on in the final round for the narrowest of victories in the Women's Team Division.
Facing wind gusts up to 30 miles-per-hour, their 15-stroke lead over Howard University dwindled throughout the day on the Irish Course. With only two holes remaining, that lead was gone and NC A&T (70-over) trailed Howard by one.
But a clutch birdie from junior Polina Marina on the final hole, the par-5 18th on the Irish Course, proved crucial and despite a finishing double bogey from junior Ekaterina Prokhorov, the 36-hole Women's Team Division Medalist leader, the Aggies won by one stroke.
"Still trying to process it all," NC A&T Head Coach Scooter Clark, PGA, said of his 11th PWCC victory as a coach. "It was neat to see them go through that today and hold on to pull it off."
Clark has seen every side of the PWCC: as a competitor in the inaugural (1986) championship, as Bethune-Cookman Head Coach, as championship director for the PGA of America and now back as a head coach.
"This is what my heart wanted to feel," Clark said of returning with a team to lead. "Seeing the pride and sense of accomplishment on a student-athlete's face, it's a great moment."
Howard University (71-over) finished runner-up in the Women's Team Division, while Alabama State University (112-over) took third.
Despite a final-round 10-over 82, Prokhorova claimed Women's Team Medalist Honors, finishing 10-over for the Championship and three strokes ahead of teammate Marina (13-over, 77-68-84). "It was a long day," Prokhorov said, "but I feel like we've done a really good job as a team.
"I believed in myself and I believed in my teammates. I just tried to keep my head in the right spot. I'm in love with these two courses. You know, when you're a kid watching all the pros play on this course, it means everything to me."
Extra holes were necessary in the Women's Individual Division after University of Delaware freshman Hyunji Kim sunk a 20-foot birdie on the par-4 18th on the Straits course for a final-round 5-over 77 and University of Nebraska-Lincoln senior Miu Takhashi finished with double bogey for a final-round 11-over 83, causing a three-shot swing and a tie at 7-over for the Championship. Starting again at the par-4 10th, Kim did her best to stay calm.
"I was just singing, trying to distract myself," Kim said. "There were too many cameras, too many people. I was really nervous and shaking in the cold."
With two putts to win on the first playoff hole, Kim left her lag putt five feet short, then told herself, "I've holed so many five-footers in my life, I can hole it."
So she did.
"Now that it's over, it's just been an incredible opportunity and I'm just grateful to be here and play such a fantastic track."
With Kim and Zubov representing the University of Delaware with Individual wins, this marks the first time both men's and women's PWCC individual winners have been from the same school since Bethune-Cookman in 2000.
For additional information on the PGA WORKS Collegiate Championship, visit here.
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SOURCE: PGA of America
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