BANK OF UTAH CHAMPIONSHIP

October 3, 2026

Kihei Akina

Black Desert Resort

Quick Quotes

Q. Kihei, nice bogey-free 64 today. If we can get some comments on an excellent round.

KIHEI AKINA: Thank you. Yeah, it was just a good solid round. Played a lot of good golf today. Just played really smart. On the hard pins, I feel like I made really good decisions out there and made a few putts here and there. Overall just a really solid round.

Q. Take us through the stretch there where you had three in a row on 5, 6 and 7.

KIHEI AKINA: I'm trying to remember. I think the whole day I had really solid feels of my approach play, so I was hitting the irons well and giving myself a lot of looks. 5, 6 and 7, I made really good putts there, and that kind of helped me finish well.

Q. To be just outside the top 10 now, do you have expectations for tomorrow, or is it just about sticking with the process?

KIHEI AKINA: Yeah, same thing I've done all week, just stick to my game and my process. I've done good so far, and we'll try to do the same tomorrow and see where that puts me.

Q. Seemed like a mature decision to lay up on the last hole. Can you talk through that decision?

KIHEI AKINA: Yeah. I was only going to go for it if I had 4-iron or less in, and my drive landed really soft, so I kind of had to force -- I was forced to lay up, which is kind of a good thing, leaving myself a wedge shot, which I was hitting my wedges good all day. The wedge shot landed a little soft, which was a little weird for how it was throughout the day, but yeah, it was a good smart decision.

Q. When in your development as a golfer did you learn to make sound decisions like that would you say?

KIHEI AKINA: Over the years, especially over the last year and a half of playing in college. You've got to really manage yourself around the golf course, so that's something that I've learned in college and especially playing out here for a few times.

Q. Speaking of that, being out here for a few times now, do you find that you're getting more comfortable with each round?

KIHEI AKINA: Absolutely. Yeah. The more I'm out hire, the more settled in I am I feel like and the more smoothly I can swing. Overall that's going to be better for my game.