BYU and Utah boasted two of the top three individual finishers at this week’s Big 12 men’s golf championship in Hutchinson, Kansas.
In the 72-hole event played at Prairie Dunes Country Club, BYU freshman Kihei Akina placed second, finishing at 8-under par, while Utah’s Sergio Jimenez finished third with a 7-under total.
Such efforts helped the Cougars and Utes land in the top half of the Big 12 team standings, with Utah placing sixth and BYU finishing tied for seventh with Baylor.
“The Big 12 championship at Prairie Dunes was again a great event,” BYU coach Bruce Brockbank said. “The course is fabulous, and the cold and windy weather made it so difficult. Our team played some really nice golf at times. We just played two or three holes out there the last two days that kept us out of contention. A course like Prairie Dunes can surely do that to you.”
Oklahoma State ultimately captured the conference crown, winning its 13th team championship in program history by shooting a collective 10-under, never once relinquishing the top spot on the leaderboard.
Additionally, Cowboys junior Preston Stout won his third consecutive individual title, besting Akina by three strokes in an 11-under finish.
Despite coming up short to Stout, Akina posted the best conference tournament showing of any Cougar since Zac Jones’ WCC victory in 2023.
“It was a great experience and a great learning lesson for me to be in that position in one of the biggest tournaments I’ve played in,” Akina said. “I let a few shots slip coming down the last nine, but still gave myself a chance to win. My game is in a good spot, and I’m excited to see where we get called for regionals.”
Jimenez made history for Utah during the second round Tuesday, carding a 7-under 63 that tied the Big 12 tournament’s lowest single-round score in history.
“For the last 45 holes, Sergio played absolutely amazing golf,” Utah coach Garrett Clegg said.
“To tie the tournament record with a third-round 63 was just absolutely incredible. One of the best rounds of golf I’ve ever witnessed. Then to follow that up today with a 3-under-par 67 — it was huge for, obviously, for our team score, but it was pretty amazing for him to do that and finish third in the conference championship, which is a great finish.”
The Cougars closed Day 1 of the tournament in fifth place after 36 holes, only to slip to sixth on Day 2 and ultimately finish seventh.
Conversely, Utah found itself in 11th place, climbing to ninth after the third round and jumping BYU Wednesday for the sixth-place finish.
“It was exciting to be near the lead after the first round, but it hurts to slip further from the leaders each round and finish where we did,” said BYU director of golf Todd Miller.
BYU didn’t have any other top-20 finishers outside of Akina, while Utah’s Brandon Robison tied for 19th at 3-over par.
Two Utes, Gabriel Palacios and Jack Jerge, shared 46th place with Tyson Shelley of the Cougars, as all three players shot 10-over.
BYU’s Peter Kim tied for 51st (+11), Simon Kwon tied for 54th (+12) and Jackson Mauss tied for 63rd (+16), although he did steal the show with an ace during Tuesday’s round.
BYU and Utah will now wait to learn their respective NCAA regional draws on May 6, with regional play taking place from May 18-20.