Kamehameha Schools alum ready to shine in second Sony Open go-round

HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) - Staying calm under pressure is a requirement for success in golf and Blaze Akana knows how to remain cool in the spotlight.

This week, the Kamehameha Schools graduate will be hitting the greens at Waialae Country Club for the 2024 Sony Open in Hawaii, which is just his second career PGA Tour event after winning an amateur qualifier.

He admits he got a late start in the sport as he didn’t play competitively until he was 12 years old.

“Once I talked to my dad about trying to play college sports, that’s when I really fell in love with golf because I’m not the biggest guy,” Akana said. “I’m not tiny, but it’s just hard to make it in those contact sports when you are kind of smaller. Golf was the path to college for me.”

He clearly made the right choice.

The Sony Open is back. And after a pandemic disruption, so are the big crowds

After Kapalama, he spent two years at Sacramento State before coming back home to golf for the Rainbow Warriors.

You can say he’s comfortable in his backyard as he shot a 66 at Waialae to earn his spot in this year’s Sony.

“I think this course fits me pretty well because it’s not too long and you have to drive it well, hit it straight, keep it in the fairways,” Akana said. “Last year, the rough was way up, so staying out of the rough will be key and hit a lot of fairways and greens.”

And Akana is especially grateful for this moment as fewer events are allowing designated slots for amateurs.

Former pro and Golf Channel analyst Mark Rolfing calls it a product of lucrative sponsorships and strong global competition.

“All the top players around the world want to get into these tournaments and it puts the pressure on the sponsors to make decisions like and in some cases, eliminating more of the local presence in creating this international image of what they’re doing,” Rolfing said.

“It’s a little bit of a dilemma, I hope the local angle doesn’t go away.”

Last year, Akana impressed, but fell short of weekend play.

This time around, the 21-year-old is ready to let it fly and show why he belongs with the pros.

“It’s a lot more comforting and you can really feel the home crowd and the local support from everyone around,” Akana said.

“There’s really nothing to lose this week and I’m just gonna try to soak it all in.”

Akana tees off Thursday at 1:40 p.m.