THE AMATEUR CHAMPIONSHIP

June 18, 2026

Kihei Akina

Quick Quotes

Q. Well, into the quarterfinals of the Amateur Championship. That was doing it the hard way but birdie-birdie finish. Talk us through that match.

KIHEI AKINA: Yeah, hard to explain. It was a crazy match. He played really, really well. It was really back and forth, but it was a lot of fun.

That's why you love match play, for matches like that. Fortunately I was able to finish it off there at the end, yeah.

Q. There was never, what, more than one hole in it probably.

KIHEI AKINA: Yeah, I don't think anybody led by more than one through the whole round, so, that's pretty cool.

Q. Yeah. Huge putt on 17. Probably what, eight feet or something?

KIHEI AKINA: Yeah.

Q. To square the match.

KIHEI AKINA: Yeah. He was in trouble, in a tough spot in a bunker probably 40 yards out, and hit a great shot to 15 feet and canned it for par. I had to go up there and make my eight-footer for birdie.

I hit an unbelievable shot just to get in there from eight feet with the 6-iron. Yeah, just right in the middle and kept me going to 18.

Q. Massive drive and then beautifully executed shot across the green on 18.

KIHEI AKINA: Yeah.

Q. 18, quite a good length shot. Is that something you've been practicing?

KIHEI AKINA: Can't practice that much in the States, but, no, I got -- I honestly got a really lucky break off the tee. I got a really good bounce and ended up right in front of the green.

Still left with a really tricky kind of pitch shot and had to run it kind of up these slopes and across the slope. It was definitely challenging, and for me to hit it to two feet was probably the shot of the day.

Q. I was going to say, in the circumstances it must have been.

KIHEI AKINA: Yeah.

Q. Yeah. I mean, at this stage now have you started thinking what's on offer At the Amateur Championship or not just yet?

KIHEI AKINA: Not just yet. I think we'll see how tomorrow goes and keep plodding along and just keep playing my golf and doing my best.

Q. Is this your first appearance at The Amateur?

KIHEI AKINA: First time here and first time ever in Europe, so...

Q. Yeah, links Europe, quite a quick learner of links golf.

KIHEI AKINA: It's taken me a couple rounds I think get used to it, but it's definitely a lot different than what I'm used to. But I love it. It's different and I love this course. Links golf as a whole is new for me as I said, but it's really fun.

Q. Yeah. I think you're the top ranked player left in the field. Does that bring a bit of pressure or do you not think about that?

KIHEI AKINA: No, I don't think so.

Q. Quite nice just being the lead from the front.

KIHEI AKINA: I don't really think about rankings too much.

Q. Yeah, absolutely. Ethan won last year. Ethan Fang, an American winner, first time for a while. Don't think there has been back to back winners for 50 years, back to back American winners. So that would be a nice little anniversary.

KIHEI AKINA: A cool little thing.

Q. Yeah. So is it back to the Italian tonight? Is it something of the ritual, Italian food?

KIHEI AKINA: I think we're going back to Italian tonight for sure. Every night.

Q. Every night?

KIHEI AKINA: Every night while I've been here in Liverpool it's been Italian. Got to do that again.

Q. Italian. Well, keep it up, the food of success. Good man, keep it going.

KIHEI AKINA: Thank you.