Kihei Akina, the 2026 Phil Mickelson Award winner, is one of three Americans who advanced to the quarterfinals of the 2026 British Amateur at Royal Liverpool.
Akina, a rising sophomore at BYU, took down Sweden’s Jakob Melin 1 up to advance into the quarterfinals, which take place Friday. He’ll face Matt Moloney, a rising junior at Georgia and fellow American, who topped Arthur Carlier of France in 24 holes.
Reed Arnaldo is the third American in the quarters, winning his Round of 16 match in 23 holes. Arnaldo just finished his freshman season at San Diego.
The last time USA golfers won back-to-back British Amateurs was 50 years ago when Dick Siderowf won in 1976 to follow up Vinny Giles’ victory a year prior. Last year, Oklahoma State rising senior Ethan Fang captured the title at Royal St. George’s in the 130th edition of the championship. He’s in the field at this week’s U.S. Open.
Estonia’s Richard Teder has advanced to the quarterfinals for the third time in four years at the British Amateur.
The winner earns exemptions into next month’s Open Championship and the 2027 Masters and U.S. Open, provided they remain an amateur.
Cameron Jourdan is an assistant editor of Golfweek, covering college and amateur golf, the PGA Tour and plenty more. Follow Cameron on X/Twitter (@Cam_Jourdan) or Instagram (@GolfweekJourdan).
This article originally appeared on Golfweek: Meet the 3 Americans who advanced to quarterfinals at British Amateur
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