VALLARTA, Mexico (AP) — Kihei Akina chipped in for birdie on the last hole Friday for a 7-under 64 and his name atop the leaderboard in the Mexico Open, and there was every reason for the 20-year-old sophomore at Brigham Young to feel like this was old hat.
It was his ninth round of 67 or lower on the PGA Tour in his last four tournaments, dating to the sponsor exemption he received in the Wyndham Championship. He already has one top 10, in the Bank of Utah Championship.
“I'm feeling more comfortable with each round played," said Akina, who was at 11-under 131 and tied with Matthieu Pavon and Adrien Dumont de Chassart with half the field still to play.
Akina certainly looked the part at Vidanta Vallarta, where he made three birdies on the par 5s and picked up his eagle on the reachable par-4 13th when he drove the green from 296 yards.
“We had about 287 to the front of the green and that’s what I was trying to hit,” Akina said. “So just a nice, roasted draw mini-driver for me, landed in a perfect spot and rolled down to tap-in. So that was a bonus for me.”
His life dream is to play on the PGA Tour and he's making remarkable progress. Dating to August and the Wyndham Championship, Akina has picked up seven points in the PGA Tour University program for underclassmen. He gets one point for every PGA Tour cut and one point for a top 10.
Akina now has 12 points, leaving him eight away from having access to a PGA Tour card. He also got two points for playing in the Walker Cup, where he went 1-1-1 at Lahinch in Ireland.
“I’ve just got to keep playing well and keeping my foot on the gas,” he said. “Feel like I’m doing that pretty well this week.”
Different about this week was his travel schedule. Akina was in Bermuda last week and tied for 17th in a tournament cut short to 54 holes because of high wind. Then it was over to Mexico, and it's like he didn't miss a beat.
“My first time going from an event to another event, so back-to-back. It’s a little bit different for me in that aspect,” he said. “Feel like every new tournament, every new round is a learning experience for me, and this one here was a really great experience for me so far.”
Akina grew up next to Turtle Bay, about five miles from the Banzai Pipeline on the North Shore of Oahu, and his family moved to Alpine, Utah — between Salt Lake City and Provo — when he was 10. He had scholarship offers to most top programs and chose to stay close to home.
It certainly hasn't hurt his development. Akina already is up to No. 9 in the world amateur golf ranking, helped not only by his PGA Tour performance but a runner-up and fourth-place finish in his last two college events.
Maybe it helped to be playing with someone his own age — Blades Brown, who turned pro as a junior in high school and earned his PGA card through the Korn Ferry Tour this year.
Brown shot 65 and was two shots behind Akina. Also in the group was 22-year-old Luke Clanton, a former No. 1 amateur and the second player to earn a tour card through the PGA Tour University accelerated program.
“That was an awesome, awesome grouping the last two days,” Akina said. “I think that helped keep me kind of loose out there.”
See AP’s full golf coverage here
FILE - BYU's Kihei Akina hits his tee shot on the 10th tee during an NCAA golf tournament on Sept. 15, 2026, in Rancho Santa Fe, Calif. (AP Photo/Denis Poroy, File)
MILWAUKEE (AP) — It was only fitting that the Milwaukee Brewers celebrated their first World Series title with a beer-soaked celebration worthy of their name.
“We’ve had way too many parade beers,” team captain and designated hitter Christian Yelich said Friday at a rally that capped a daylong party with fans. “I took the trophy to the face, got a black eye. It’s all worth it. It’s for you guys. We should celebrate forever.”
The small-market Brewers gave their long-suffering fans the championship they had been waiting for with a 4-1 win over the Tampa Bay Rays on Wednesday, clinching the Series in five games. It was their first time playing in the Fall Classic in 44 years.
That long wait made Friday’s celebration that much sweeter.
“Unbelievable,” said parade attendee Mark Diedrich, a 76-year-old from who has been an on-and-off partial season ticket holder since the 1980s. “You just never thought it would happen. But it did.”
Before the rally at American Family Insurance Amphitheater near the shore of Lake Michigan, the Brewers held a parade through downtown Milwaukee. Exuberant fans flooded the streets, watched from parking garages and cheered from office building windows.
Milwaukee police estimated that over 750,000 attended the parade or rally, well above their initial expectations of about 400,000.
“That was incredible — incredible,” manager Pat Murphy said. “I kept thinking I saw the same people over and over, and we were just going in a circle. There’s no way there’s that many people who live here.”
Then came a rally that featured World Series MVP William Contreras joining in on the fans’ “MVP” chants.
“We win the trophy for you guys, for the city,” Contreras said.
The rally concluded with hitting coach Daniel Vogelbach performing a karaoke version of “Stacy’s Mom” by Fountains of Wayne and Hall of Fame shortstop Robin Yount riding onto the stage on a Harley Davidson owned by beloved broadcaster Bob Uecker.
Yount was an MVP when the Brewers made their last World Series appearance, losing in seven games to the St. Louis Cardinals in 1982. By the time they got back, it was without Uecker, who called Brewers games for 54 seasons before dying in January 2025 at the age of 90.
The Brewers made sure he was remembered. The parade route ran through a downtown mural honoring Uecker, and 2011 MVP Ryan Braun led a “Ueck” cheer during the rally.
“God bless you, Bob Uecker,” Yount said at the end of the ceremony.
At the parade, Brewers players, coaches and staffers waved to fans from the top of buses, some of which bore the message, “Won Our Way,” to update their postseason slogan of “Win Our Way.” Several players, such as outfielder Sal Frelick and second baseman Brice Turang, removed their shirts in a nod to this seasons’ MLB-wide “Tarps Off” craze as they exhorted the crowd.
Players took turns holding the Commissioner’s Trophy aloft, with many of them getting off their buses and greeting fans.
“For me and my teammates, this has been the most special day of our lives — you guys showing up here and cheering us on,” said Aaron Ashby, who set a major league record by throwing 18 consecutive scoreless innings of relief in the postseason to lead Milwaukee’s stellar bullpen performance. “This is better than anything we could ever imagine.”
Every level of the Brewers franchise was represented in the parade, from owner Mark Attanasio to grounds crew members, behind-the-scenes staff and even the Johnsonville racing sausages. Yount and fellow Hall of Famers Rollie Fingers, Paul Molitor and Ted Simmons from that 1982 team also participated in the parade and rally.
“Good things come to those who wait,” Molitor said. “We waited long enough.”
The end of that wait had families bringing multiple generations of fans downtown, as Milwaukee Public Schools canceled classes.
Craig Muehl, a 42-year-old from the Milwaukee suburb of Brookfield, said he inherited his Brewers fandom from his father. Muehl woke up early to attend the parade with his young son and daughter.
“It all started, just like many families around here, sitting outside in the summer and fall,” Muehl said. “My dad had the Brewers game on the radio everywhere we went. Some families have music on the radio. We had the Brewers games all summer long."
Diedrich, who is from Necedah, Wisconsin, said he owns the seats from the old Milwaukee County Stadium where he and one of his sons were sitting when Yount got his 3,000th hit in 1992.
“We could tell you stories for days of all the games we went to,” Diedrich said. “I remember going to opening day with these guys and there was ice on the steps of County Stadium. We’re sitting down to get ready for the game and a guy’s spreading salt to melt the ice on the steps.”
The celebration actually started well before Friday.
Several Brewers, including Yelich and Cy Young Award favorite Jacob Misiorowski, went to Lambeau Field for Thursday night’s Green Bay Packers game. They received a huge ovation, especially when pitcher Brandon Woodruff emerged from the tunnel in the second quarter holding the Commissioner’s Trophy.
A few players attempted a “Lambeau leap” into the crowd, with Frelick having the most success.
“It was unbelievable,” said Frelick, a former high school quarterback. “It’s been a dream of mine. I was in the end zone, I saw it, and I said, ‘I’ve got to go.’ So I went.”
Those Brewers players later were shown on the video board cheering as they wore cheeseheads that included the message, “2026 WS Champions.”
The current franchise originated as the Seattle Pilots in 1969 before moving to Milwaukee and becoming the Brewers the following year.
Milwaukee has celebrated a World Series title once before. The Milwaukee Braves won the 1957 World Series over the New York Yankees before moving to Atlanta in 1966.
Associated Press writer Scott Bauer contributed to this story.
See AP’s full MLB coverage here
Milwaukee Brewers William Contreras, right, the World Series MVP, introduces teammate Jackson Chourio, left, at a rally during the baseball team's World Series parade, Friday, Oct. 30, 2026, in Milwaukee. (AP Photo/Nam Huh)
Milwaukee Brewers' fans raise their hands as they pose for a selfie during a rally at the baseball team's World Series parade, Friday, Oct. 30, 2026, in Milwaukee. (AP Photo/Nam Huh)
Milwaukee Brewers Aaron Ashby, right, holds up the Commissioner's Trophy as he celebrates with teammates during a rally at the baseball team's World Series Parade, Friday, Oct. 30, 2026, in Milwaukee. (AP Photo/Nam Huh)
Milwaukee Brewers fans arrive for a rally during the baseball team's World Series parade, Friday, Oct. 30, 2026, in Milwaukee. (AP Photo/Nam Huh)
A Milwaukee Brewers fan dressed as the Commissioner's Trophy arrives for a rally during the baseball team's World Series parade, Friday, Oct. 30, 2026, in Milwaukee. (AP Photo/Nam Huh)
A fan holds a sign as they arrive for a rally during the baseball team's World Series parade, Friday, Oct. 30, 2026, in Milwaukee. (AP Photo/Nam Huh)
Milwaukee Brewers fans arrive for a rally during the baseball team's World Series parade, Friday, Oct. 30, 2026, in Milwaukee. (AP Photo/Nam Huh)
A fan arrives with a Milwaukee Brewers' Champions hat during the baseball team's World Series parade, Friday, Oct. 30, 2026, in Milwaukee. (AP Photo/Nam Huh)
A Milwaukee Brewers' fan holds up a sign as he waits for the baseball team to arrive for a rally during their World Series parade, Friday, Oct. 30, 2026, in Milwaukee. (AP Photo/Nam Huh)
Milwaukee Brewers catcher William Contreras, left, celebrates after their win against the Tampa Bay Rays in baseball's World Series, Wednesday, Oct. 28, 2026, in St. Petersburg, Fla. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis)
Milwaukee Brewers catcher William Contreras holds the MVP trophy after they won baseball's World Series against the Tampa Bay Rays, Wednesday, Oct. 28, 2026, in St. Petersburg, Fla. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis)
World Series Champions Milwaukee Brewers right fielder Sal Frelick, center, leaps into the stands as arrives with his baseball team during the first half of an NFL football game between the Green Bay Packers and the Carolina Panthers in Green Bay, Wis., Thursday, Oct. 29, 2026. (AP Photo/Matt Ludtke)
Milwaukee Brewers' Christian Yelich holds up the Commissioner's Trophy during the first half of an NFL football game between the Green Bay Packers and the Carolina Panthers in Green Bay, Wis., Thursday, Oct. 29, 2026. (AP Photo/Matt Ludtke)
