Akina named to 2026-27 Fred Haskins Award Final Fall Watch List

COLUMBUS, Ga. — BYU men’s golfer Kihei Akina was named to the 2026-27 Fred Haskins Award presented by Stifel Final Fall Watch List, the Haskins Foundation announced Thursday.

The award, presented annually to the top male NCAA Division I golfer based on performance in collegiate events, is considered one of the most prestigious honors in college golf. Established in 1971, past recipients include Tiger Woods, Phil Mickelson, Justin Thomas and Ben Crenshaw.

After being named to the preseason watch list in August, Akina recorded back-to-back top-five finishes in collegiate events. He took second at 3 under at the Vuori Invitational to open the season before tying for fourth at 10 under at the William H. Tucker Invitational. The sophomore also went undefeated at Big 12 Match Play, posting a 4-0-0 record against golfers from Utah, Iowa State, Arizona State and Kansas State.

Outside of collegiate competition, Akina earned four top-20 finishes on the PGA Tour and made the cut in all five of his Tour appearances this season.

Akina is one of 25 golfers named to the watch list and the only BYU player selected. Peter Kuest was the last Cougar to earn a spot on the final fall watch list, doing so in November 2019.