Freshman Kihei Akina led BYU to a record-breaking victory at the Bridgestone Collegiate Invitational—and earned himself a start on the Korn Ferry Tour in the process.
The BYU standout, ranked No. 28 in the AmateurGolf Men’s Rankings, fired rounds of 65-67-63 to claim medalist honors at 21-under 195, good for a three-shot win at Silverado Resort in Napa, California. His victory secured an exemption into the Korn Ferry Tour’s Blue Championship, set for July 9–12 at TPC Colorado.
Akina entered the final round with a three-shot lead and only extended it, closing with a bogey-free 63 that featured birdies on nine of his final 14 holes. His 21-under total set a new tournament record and broke BYU’s 54-hole individual scoring mark.
Behind him, No. 27 BYU delivered one of the most dominant team performances of the college season. The Cougars posted 54-under 810 (267-281-262) to win by 25 shots, setting both tournament and program records.
Santa Clara finished runner-up at 29-under 835 (278-286-271), while defending champions Tohoku Fukushi—alma mater of Masters champion Hideki Matsuyama—placed T-3 at 20-under.
BYU’s depth proved overwhelming. Every player in the lineup recorded an under-par round in the final round, leading to a school-record 26-under 262 on Tuesday.
Junior Peter Kim pushed Akina throughout the week, finishing solo second at 16-under 200 (67-72-61) after a blistering, tournament-record 61 in the final round that included two eagles and no bogeys. Senior Tyson Shelley added a T-5 finish at 7-under 209 (67-72-70), while senior Simon Kwon rounded out the group at T-12 (68-72-70).
