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Utah’s Kihei Akina Named to USA Walker Cup Team
Kihei Akina, 19, of Alpine, Utah; Ryder Cowan, 21, of Edmond, Okla.; Josiah Gilbert, 21, of Millbrook, Ala.; William Jennings, 20, of Greenville, S.C.; Stewart Hagestad, 35, of Newport Beach, Calif., and Jay Leng Jr., 20, of San Diego, Calif., were named to the 2026 USA Walker Cup Team by the USGA Teams Selection Committee working group on Sunday August 16th to complete the 10-player team.
Kihei Akina 02/22/2025 USNDP Training Camp (USGA)
The six players join Ethan Fang, Miles Russell, Preston Stout and Tyler Watts, all of whom were previously named to the team last month. The USA Team will compete against Great Britain and Ireland in the 51st Walker Cup Match Sept. 5-6 at Lahinch, in County Claire, Ireland.
“These six players have earned their spots and are terrific additions to this year’s team,” said Nathan Smith, captain of the USA Team. “I couldn’t be more pleased to see their hard work pay off with this opportunity. With the roster now complete, I’m excited to turn our full attention to getting ready for Lahinch Golf Club.”
The USA Team returns three players from the 2025 squad that defeated Great Britain & Ireland 17-9 at Cypress Point Club. Fang posted a 1-2-1 record; Hagestad went 2-1, and Stout finished 2-2.
Named to the 2026 USA Walker Cup Team, Kihei Akina has earned one of amateur golf’s highest honors and the opportunity to represent the United States in international competition. (Fairways Media/Garrit Johnson)
Kihei Akina, 20, of Alpine, Utah, earned the 2026 Phil Mickelson Award as the nation’s top collegiate freshman after being named 2025-26 Big 12 Conference Freshman of the Year in his first season at Brigham Young University. Akina tied for eighth in the NCAA Championship at Omni La Costa Resort & Spa and was runner-up in the Big 12 Conference Championship. He won a pair of collegiate tournaments in 2025-26 season: R.E. Lamkin Invitational and Bridgestone Collegiate Invitational. Akina made the 36-hole cut in the PGA Tour’s Wyndham Championship last week and tied for 16th in the PGA Tour’s Puerto Rico Open (2026). He also advanced to the Round of 64 at the 2026 U.S. Amateur and the quarterfinals of the 2026 Amateur Championship held at Royal Liverpool. He was a member of the 2025 U.S. National Junior Team and was chosen earlier this year to be a member of the 2026 Elite Amateur Program as part of the U.S. National Development Program.
The Walker Cup Match is a 10-man amateur team competition between the USA and Great Britain and Ireland. The Match is played over two days with 18 singles matches and eight foursomes (alternate-shot) matches. Lahinch will be hosting its first Walker Cup Match.