01멕시코 대회 돌풍으로 입증한 가능성… PGA 투어 진출 가속화
아마추어 유망주 키헤이 아키나가 멕시코에서 열린 대회 초반부터 강력한 경기력을 선보이며 주목받고 있다. 경기 시작과 함께 상위권에 이름을 올린 아키나는 안정적인 플레이로 순조로운 출발을 알렸다.
이번 대회에서의 쾌조의 스타트는 아키나의 PGA 투어 정식 멤버십 획득 가능성을 한층 높여주고 있다. 아마추어 신분임에도 베테랑 프로 선수들과 견주어 부족함 없는 기량을 과시하며 꿈의 무대를 향한 발걸음을 한층 앞당겼다.
골프계는 아키나의 빠른 성장세와 무한한 잠재력에 주목하고 있으며, 멕시코에서의 활약이 그의 커리어에 결정적인 분수령이 될 것으로 평가하고 있다. 과연 그가 이번 기세를 이어가 PGA 투어 멤버십을 손에 쥘 수 있을지 기대가 모인다.
02Original (English) — PGA TOUR
Jackson Koivun. Luke Clanton. Gordon Sargent. Kihei Akina?
Another top amateur is quickly ascending through the PGA Tour University Accelerated program and could soon earn a Tour card.
Akina, a 20-year-old sophomore at Brigham Young University, earned his 12th Accelerated point Friday by making the cut at the VidantaWorld Mexico Open. Akina is more than halfway to the 20-point threshold needed to jump straight to the PGA Tour. He would be the fourth golfer to earn status through the pathway.
“I've just got to keep playing well and keeping my foot on the gas,” Akina said.
Akina shot 64 on Friday at Vidanta Vallarta, which was enough to easily make the weekend. He has made the cut in all five of his Tour starts this year. He carded his first career top-10 finish at the Bank of Utah Championship and followed it with a T17 in Bermuda a week ago.
Akina made an eagle and six birdies Friday, which more than offset his lone bogey. As he finished his round, he sat inside the top 10 through 36 holes. If he maintains that position through the weekend, Akina will earn his 13th Accelerated point. A top-10 finish would also net Akina an exemption into next week’s World Wide Technology Championship.
Akina’s rise has been, so far, less heralded than his predecessors'. Koivun and Sargent were considered can’t-miss prospects before they even played a round of collegiate golf. Clanton took the Tour by storm, nearly winning multiple times before earning his card via the Accelerated pathway.
Akina has not carried similar acclaim. He played the Walker Cup earlier this year but was considered one of the last selections for the U.S. Until this fall, he hasn’t received many sponsor exemptions. That will change if Akina keeps playing at this level.
Of course, Akina could bypass the system entirely if he wins in Mexico, as Nick Dunlap did at The American Express in 2024.
Akina’s Accelerated point accrual is made more impressive by the fact that he’s done it without a trove of points available via the World Amateur Golf Ranking. A possible five points are available based on positioning in the WAGR, but Akina has yet to crack the top five (currently No. 9) and has earned his points largely based on his Tour finishes. Suppose Akina can maintain form and rise in the rankings, that also presents a massive opportunity to gain another handful of points quickly. Akina did earn two points by winning the Outstanding Freshman of the Year award last spring and earned points for playing on the U.S. Walker Cup and Palmer Cup teams earlier this year. The sophomore will be eligible for the Palmer Cup again next summer and figures to feature prominently in awards discussions throughout the next collegiate season.
Of the three previous Accelerated graduates, Koivun is the only one to win since joining the PGA Tour. Clanton and Sargent are both battling to keep their cards this fall. Akina said he sought out Clanton for advice on handling the process and pressure of the pursuit.
“He was in a similar position,” the soft-spoken Akina said. “It would be cool to kind of do what he did, and that all kind of started with him playing well out here on the Tour.”
Good golf will take care of it, whether that’s this week or next year. But it may come sooner rather than later if Akina keeps this up.