BYU sophomore Kihei Akina fired a final round 6-under par 65 Sunday to carve out a solo ninth-place finish (-20) at the Bank of Utah Championship at the Black Desert Resort Golf Course in Ivins, marking his best finish on the PGA Tour in three starts.
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A member of this year’s USA Walker Cup team, Akina made seven birdies, along with a bogey on No. 11, when he 3-putted from 50 feet. His play in the final round was among the best efforts of the day.
Akina finished six strokes behind the winner Austin Smotherman. Akina’s top 10 finish qualifies him to play in the PGA Tour’s Butterfield Bermuda Championship at Port Royal Golf Course Oct. 22-25.
“I looked at the leaderboard a little bit, I think once before teeing off, and I saw that there were already some low scores out there, so I knew I had to put out a low one. A birdie on 1 always helps,” Akina said.
Akina used a mini-driver during his rounds, which helped him reach the Par 5 holes consistently through the tournament. He regularly hit that club 290-plus yards. On the final hole he tried to hit a 275-yard shot into the wind that went further right than he expected but it led to a makable birdie putt.
“To get it up around the green pin high was a great shot,” he said.
Akina played every round at Black Desert under par, with rounds of 67-67-65-65. He went 12-under par his final two rounds.
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Akina led a local contingent of three players to make the cut, all of them with BYU ties.
Zac Blair finished 17-under after carding a 5-under par 66 finishing round. Blair got off to a hot start in the desert Sunday, with birdies on 3,4 and 5, then No. 7.
His final birdie came on the finishing No. 18, a Par 5. He had no bogeys on his card and finished the tournament tied for 21st.
Ogden’s Patrick Fishburn finished 15-under par after also firing a final round 5-under par 66. The former BYU player got off to a fast start Sunday by making birdies on 1,3,5,7 and 8 before making a bogey on No. 14.
He got back that mistake on the 15th hole with a birdie to stay 5-under. Fishburn finished the tournament T32.