In July 2025, BYU's Kihei Akina claimed victory in Southern California at the Taco Bell x Bad Birdie Invitational, which brought together 16 top junior boys and girls golfers from around the U.S. The tournament offered a pair of professional exemptions for the winners: a tee time at the PGA TOUR's Puerto Rico Open for the boys and a spot in the LPGA's Ford Championship for the girls.
Thanks to Akina's victory, he is now playing in this week's Puerto Rico Open, which SPORTFIVE has owned and operated since its inception 18 years ago. After opening with an impressive 4-under 68 during Thursday's First Round, Akina shot a 2-under 70 on Friday to secure a weekend tee time and make his first cut in a PGA TOUR event. His success this week can be traced back to last summer, and is a testament to how SPORTFIVE helps give younger players earned opportunities across multiple events in the professional golf landscape.
SPORTFIVE, together with Taco Bell and Bad Birdie, continues to innovate and push boundaries of traditional golf and ultimately grow the game.
In July 2025, BYU's Kihei Akina claimed victory in Southern California at the Taco Bell x Bad Birdie Invitational, which brought together 16 top junior boys and girls golfers from around the U.S. The tournament offered a pair of professional exemptions for the winners: a tee time at the PGA TOUR's Puerto Rico Open for the boys and a spot in the LPGA's Ford Championship for the girls.
Thanks to Akina's victory, he is now playing in this week's Puerto Rico Open, which SPORTFIVE has owned and operated since its inception 18 years ago. After opening with an impressive 4-under 68 during Thursday's First Round, Akina shot a 2-under 70 on Friday to secure a weekend tee time and make his first cut in a PGA TOUR event. His success this week can be traced back to last summer, and is a testament to how SPORTFIVE helps give younger players earned opportunities across multiple events in the professional golf landscape.
SPORTFIVE, together with Taco Bell and Bad Birdie, continues to innovate and push boundaries of traditional golf and ultimately grow the game.