SALT LAKE CITY — Kihei Akina was one of five golfers to advance from the 90-player field at the U.S. Open local qualifier at Alpine Country Club last week.
He's ranked seventh in the country in the Golfweek junior rankings, after two top-five finishes at huge events, so he was expecting to qualify.
"Absolutely, I was playing great," Akina reflected. "I played at the Terra Cotta Invitational, one of the top amateur tournaments in the world, and played great in that, so I was really playing well."
Akina tied for third in that tournament at Naples National in Florida in April, shooting a 62 in the second round. That broke the tournament and course record by two shots.
In March, he was invited to play in the Junior Invitational at Sage Valley Golf Club in South Carolina. It's the most prestigious event in junior golf and Kihei was the top U.S. finisher.
"It was 36 of the best players around the world, so it's one of the hardest tournaments just to get into," said Akina. "I played really well at that one, I tied for fifth."
Kihei was named the 2023 USA Today National Boys Golfer of the Year after winning back-to-back state championships as a freshman and sophomore at Lone Peak High School, where he claims he's not a big deal.
"I just put my head down and nobody really knows who I am," he said. "I like to stay pretty humble."
He's following his older brother Keanu to BYU to play college golf, which he hopes will lead him to his largest golfing goal.
"I want to be on the PGA Tour, and I think college is a really big stepping stone for that," said Akins. "The PGA tour is the big goal for me."
He might be competing against the best players in the world at the U.S. Open at Pinehurst in July, if he can put together two great rounds at the final U.S. Open qualifier in June.
"It's pretty cool, I think it's pretty doable, honestly," said Akina. "Just two good rounds and you're in the U.S. Open".
