PROVO — Kihei Akina’s freshman campaign with the BYU men’s golf team finished with quite the bang Monday.
Akina's championship performance
The former Lone Peak and amateur golf superstar shot 2-under-par 70 to finish tied for eighth at the end of stroke play at the NCAA Championship at Omni La Costa Resort in Carlsbad, California.
Playing as an individual after BYU was eliminated from team contention after 54 holes, Akina carded four birdies with two bogeys to finish his fourth consecutive round of the tournament below par (69-70-71-70 — 280). The former Utah Open champion shot 3-under on a five-hole run from the ninth through 13th holes to make up for back-to-back bogeys on the par-5, 571-yard sixth and par-4, 521-yard seventh.
“I played really solid and smooth besides the two bogeys on the back nine,” Akina said in a news release. “I was just a little bit out of position on those two holes, which you can’t do much at this course, but I did a great job the rest of the round.”
The Big 12 freshman of the year led the 156-player field in par-4 scoring with 3.83, in addition to two eagles in four rounds.
Season achievements and accolades
The top-10 finish caps a standout season for Akina, who record 10 top-10 finishes including wins in the R.E. Lamkin Invitational and Bridgestone Collegiate Invitational that offer an exemption to the Blue Championship on the Korn Ferry Tour this summer.
Tune in to the Golf Channel to watch Kihei compete as an individual at the NCAA Championship. pic.twitter.com/FF0jEjyQZq
— BYU Men's Golf (@BYUmgolf) June 1, 2026
Professional tournament experience
Akina is no stranger to the professional circuit, having debuted locally in the Korn Ferry Tour’s Utah Championship and the PGA Tour’s Black Desert Championship, in addition to making his first PGA Tour cut to finish tied for 16th at the 2026 Puerto Rico Open.
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“[Kihei] has had an All-American type year,” said BYU coach Bruce Brockbank of Akina, who played the same role as Mike Weir in the former era of the late great Karl Tucker as the last BYU golfer under his retiring coach. “To have a scoring average like he’s had this season is great for him, the golf team and BYU athletics. It’s been a long time since we’ve had a guy put up the performances he’s been having. If he has a great day tomorrow, he may be able to track down a national title, which is something nobody has ever done at BYU.”
Oklahoma State’s Preston Stout rebounded from a 1-over performance in the first round with a 15-under performance in the final three to clinch medalist honors by one stroke over Alabama’s William Jennings, who played the final round alongside Akina. Auburn’s Josiah Gilbert was three shots back in third, one shot up on Vanderbilt’s Will Hartman and Arizona’s Filip Jakubcik.
No. 1 Auburn, No. 3 Texas, No. 11 Vanderbilt, No. 2 Florida, No. 5 Oklahoma State, No. 12 Arizona and No. 18 Tennessee booked the top-eight spots for match play to determine the NCAA team title.
A finalist for the Fred Haskins Award given annually to the most outstanding collegiate golfer in the United States, Akina will likely be one of the top collegiate golfers in the country next season.
“The simplicity with which he plays the game is what impresses me the most,” BYU director of golf Todd Miller said. “He didn’t need to do anything flashy to be the best freshman in the field and who I consider the best in the country.
“I’m excited to watch him build his amateur resume in preparation for the Tour.”
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