01익숙한 아칸소 무대에서 펼쳐지는 LPGA 투어 데뷔전
엡손투어의 루키 레이건 지빌스키(Reagan Zibilski)가 아칸소로 돌아와 기대 속에 LPGA 투어 데뷔 무대를 치른다.
지빌스키는 이번 대회를 통해 정식으로 LPGA 투어에 첫발을 내딛으며, 세계 최정상급 선수들과 어깨를 나란히 하고 기량을 겨루게 된다.
자신에게 친숙한 아칸소 지역에서 열리는 대회인 만큼, 지빌스키가 코스 적응력과 환경적 이점을 살려 성공적인 데뷔전을 치러낼 수 있을지 많은 관심이 집중되고 있다.
02Original (English) — LPGA
Jennifer Meyer is the Manager of Digital Operations. Jennifer has worked with the LPGA for more than a decade, working with the LPGA and Epson Tours to manage, develop, maintain, and update website content.
Before she was competing among the best professional golfers in the world, Reagan Zibilski was just a fan in the gallery at the Walmart NW Arkansas Championship presented by P&G.
This week, the University of Arkansas alumna is returning to familiar territory to make her official LPGA Tour debut close to home, backed by strong Razorback support and a standout start to her professional career.
"I'm super excited," Zibilski said ahead of her opening round. "I grew up coming to this tournament and played four years at Arkansas. Yeah, emotions are good. The vibes are good. I'm just excited to be able to play out here with some of the best in the world and some of my fellow teammates and people that also played in Arkansas."
Zibilski earned her spot on the Epson Tour through the LPGA Collegiate Advancement Pathway (LCAP), a program that creates a direct route for top collegiate golfers to enter the LPGA's system of professional tours. The top 10 athletes in their last year of eligibility enrolled in LCAP earn Epson Tour membership based on their end-of-season rankings through the program.
“I feel like college golf is growing and it's become so much more competitive. For them to kind of create a pathway for women in college golf is super important. I know it's been around for the guys for a while now,” Zibilski said. “LCAP was super, super special, and to be a part of the first class was super fun. Kind of getting to be around the other girls on Epson and have the shared first experiences with them is super fun.
“I've made friends out there. Some of us are the same age just figuring it out together. College golf is in a great spot. I know it's super, super perspective this year with LCAP. I've been keeping up and watching to see who might be the next crew that comes out. It's been a super fun, great learning experience for me just to know what I need to get better at, what I need to be better prepared for. So to get opportunities like this, it's very important for me to just learn and listen and take it all in. Figure out what I need to do to get to that next step.”
Since stepping onto the on the LPGA’s Official Qualifying Tour as a rookie, she has made an immediate impact, making nine cuts in 10 starts. Her impressive run features three top-10 finishes: a tie for sixth at both the FireKeepers Casino Hotel Championship and the Island Resort Championship, alongside a tie for seventh at the Wildhorse Ladies Golf Classic.
Before turning professional, Zibilski built a decorated collegiate career with the Razorbacks. A standout for Arkansas, she captured a collegiate victory at the 2025 Dale McNamara Invitational, earned 2025 WGCA All-American Honorable Mention honors, and was named to the All-SEC Second Team in both 2025 and 2026.
The Walmart NW Arkansas Championship has long served as a premiere stop on the LPGA Tour schedule, bringing world-class golf to Northwest Arkansas while providing a prominent platform for local talent and former Razorback standouts to compete on a global stage. For Zibilski, the tournament represents a full-circle moment after years of attending as a spectator before carrying the university's colors as a collegiate star.
"I loved the University of Arkansas. I loved being a Hog, and it was my dream school growing up, so getting to share the fairways with some fellow Razorbacks is really special," Zibilski said. "To be able to represent the school post-college is a big deal. I've been working with Shauna with Choose Confidence and we talk a lot, so it's just a super fun environment to be a part of."
With strong regional roots, local fan enthusiasm, and momentum from her Epson Tour campaign, Zibilski tees off this week looking to make her mark in her LPGA Tour debut.