BYU-bound Kihei Akina grateful for another shot at Utah Championship

OGDEN — Kihei Akina was trying to appreciate his sponsors’ exemption to play in the Utah Championship on the Korn Ferry Tour for the second straight year before his freshman season at BYU.

But there’s no doubt the second invite was all that different for the former Utah junior golf star.

“I feel a little bit calmer, and just kind of know what’s going on a little bit more,” said Akina, who also played in last year’s inaugural Black Desert Championship on the PGA Tour and still plans to play in the 125th United States Amateur held Aug. 11-17 at the Olympic Club in San Francisco. “I’m just calmer this week than last year.”

A year ago, the teenage golfer made the court in his first Korn Ferry Tour event, then at Oakridge Country Club in Farmington.

Akina, the former Lone Peak standout and one of the top junior golfers nationally, shot 1-over-par 71 in his opening round at Ogden Golf and Country Club. He’ll have some work to do to repeat his performance from a year ago and make the cut again.

But Akina is mindful that he has plenty of good golf in front of him — though he hopes to take advantage of the opportunities he’s been given to play against professionals at a young age.

“These don’t come very often, so you can’t really take it for granted,” he said before Tuesday’s practice round. “I’m just happy to be here.”

Former Weber High golfer Connor Howe was perhaps in the best position among local golfers after 18 holes. The second-year pro by way of Georgia Tech tallied his sixth birdie on the day on the par-4, 470-yard 18th hole and finish the round at 4-under 65.

That’s one shot better than former BYU golfer Cole Ponich, the former Rolex Junior All-American at Davis High who carded five birdies with one bogey to finish at 4-under 66 and a tie for 10th.

Ponich, who won his pro debut last month at the Provo Open, is five shots off the lead, which was held by Etienne Papineau after the Canadian shot 9-under 61.

Former two-time Sand Hollow Open champion Taylor Montgomery of Las Vegas is one shot back, followed by Blades Brown at 6-under 64.

“It was kind of getting windy a little bit, too. It was definitely not easy,” said Pappineau. “But the course is in really good shape, the greens are good. You can get some pretty nasty lies in the rough around the greens sometimes and even off the fairways. No, I mean, it’s a treat.”

 

Former Weber State golfer Hayden Banz of Salt Lake City went on a run of three consecutive birdies on the back nine to shoot 2-under 68, good for a tie for 31st just three days after earning a spot via Monday qualifier at Glen Eagle Golf Course.

Former BYU golfer and well-traveled tour pro Daniel Summerhays shot 1-under 69, tied for 49th with a group that included his nephew Preston — the former two-time Utah state amateur champion and newly minted pro out of Arizona State.

Former BYU golfer Peter Kuest shot even-par 70, and former University of Utah standout Mitchell Schow — the Utah state amateur champion in 2020 who calls Ogden his hometown — matched Akina at 1-over 71.

 

Select tee times for Friday’s second round at the Utah Championship at Ogden Golf and Country Club

 

 

• 7:45 a.m. MDT (No. 1) — Daniel Summerhays
• 9:05 a.m. MDT (No. 1) — Preston Summerhays
• 9:15 a.m. MDT (No. 1) — Mitchell Schow
• 9:15 a.m. MDT (No. 10) — Connor Howe
• 1:10 p.m. MDT (No. 10) — Peter Kuest
• 2:30 p.m. MDT (No. 1) — Cole Ponich
• 2:30 p.m. MDT (No. 10) — Kihei Akina (a), Hayden Banz