RIO GRANDE, Puerto Rico — BYU golfer Kihei Akina (68-70–138) tied for 12th at 6-under par after two rounds of play at the Puerto Rico Open at Grand Reserve Golf Club Friday.
“I feel like Kihei is composed in any situation,” director of golf Todd Miller said. “His talent helps, but he works hard to be prepared. This course is a lot like what he grew up playing on the north shore of Oahu. He is used to playing on paspalum grass and having 15-20 mph winds. Kihei knows how to control his emotions and is great at staying in the moment which allows him to handle his nerves in elevated events like this. In some ways I feel like we are just playing another collegiate tournament. We are both relaxed out there and enjoying being in Puerto Rico and walking a beautiful course. I’m really grateful that he is getting opportunities like this to learn from and compete against PGA tour professionals.”
“I was really hoping as I came to caddy for him that he could make his first cut in a PGA TOUR event,” Miller said. “Now that he has done that I just want BYU fans and golf fans in general to see how great this kid is.”
After missing the cut in his previous two PGA Tour appearances, the freshman made the cut for the first time in his three PGA Tour starts. Akina became the first amateur to post consecutive rounds under par in a PGA event in 2026.
“It feels great to make my first cut on the PGA Tour,” Akina said. “We’re in a position now that we can make a run on the weekend, so our focus is on tomorrow right now. Growing up in Hawaii, I played very similar golf to what we’re playing this week. I’m comfortable in all the conditions. Coach Miller's done a great job of caddying. We’re going to continue to stay in our bubble and in our process, and see if we can give ourselves a chance.”
The Utah Open winner will look to have his best finish in a professional tournament since he tied for 49th in Korn Ferry’s Utah Championship in 2024.
Zac Blair (71-68–139) recorded a 5-under par and currently sits tied for 19th through 36 holes. Blair made the cut for the 128th time in his PGA career.
Patrick Fishburn (77-73–150) missed the cut at 6-over par.
Live coverage of the event will continue on the Golf Channel Saturday and Sunday from 2:30-5:30 p.m. Follow Akina and the rest of the leaderboard on the PGA Tour website.