Akina tied for second after two rounds at PGA Tour’s VidantaWorld Mexico Open

NUEVO NAYARIT, Mexico — BYU men’s golfer Kihei Akina is tied for second at 11-under par Friday at the PGA Tour’s VidantaWorld Mexico Open at Vidanta Vallarta Golf Course, making his fifth cut in as many PGA Tour starts this season.

After opening the tournament with a 4-under 67, Akina carded a 7-under 64 in the second round, setting a new 18-hole career best on the PGA Tour. The sophomore became the first amateur to sit in the top two of a PGA Tour leaderboard after 36 holes since Jackson Koivun in September 2025.

“I feel like every new tournament, every new round is a learning experience for me, and this one here was a really great experience for me so far,” Akina said. “I’m really happy with my play so far, and I’m looking forward to the weekend.”

Akina arrived in Mexico after tying for 17th at last week’s Butterfield Bermuda Championship. Although he has experience traveling between tournaments, this marks his first time competing in back-to-back PGA Tour events.

“This is my first time going from one event to another event, back to back,” Akina said. “It’s a little bit different for me in that aspect. I’m feeling more comfortable with every round played.”

Akina opened the first round with four consecutive birdies on Nos. 11-14. After offsetting a bogey on No. 15 with a birdie on No. 16, he made the turn at 4 under. He answered a bogey on No. 2 with two more birdies on Nos. 6 and 8 before bogeying the final hole to finish with a 4-under 67.

In the second round, Akina carded a 7-under 64, recording an eagle, six birdies and just one bogey. After trading a birdie and a bogey on Nos. 3 and 4, the Hawaii native made birdies on Nos. 6 and 8 to make the turn at 2 under.

On the back nine, Akina carded consecutive birdies on Nos. 10 and 11 before carding an eagle on No. 13. A birdie on the final hole moved him to 7 under for the round and helped him climb 20 spots on the leaderboard.

“I’ve just got to keep playing well and keep my foot on the gas,” Akina said. “I feel like I’m doing that pretty well this week.”

Former Cougar Patrick Fishburn also made the cut, sitting in a tie for 49th at 5 under after rounds of 69 and 68.

BYU alumnus Zac Blair missed the cut after shooting rounds of 68 and 72 to finish at 2 under.

The top 65 players and ties advanced to play Saturday and Sunday. Live scoring is available at pgatour.com/leaderboard. Third-round tee times are listed below.

Player	Tee Time
Patrick Fishburn	10:34 a.m. MDT
Kihei Akina	11:51 a.m. MDT