Not scared: 20-year-old amateur Kihei Akina contending at VidantaWorld Mexico Open - Golfweek

We're on the eve of Halloween, but Kihei Akina isn't scared.

Just a 20-year-old BYU sophomore, Akina is making waves on the PGA Tour and this week he might make his biggest splash. Akina chipped in for birdie on the 18th hole to cap off a 7-under 64 second round and get to 11 under overall, good enough to tie for the 36-hole lead in the VidantaWorld Mexico Open. Five holes prior, he drove the green on the par-4 13th and then drained a 15-footer for eagle.

"We had about 287 to the front of the green and that's what I was trying to hit it," he 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."

Toss in five other birdies and just one bogey and this budding star has the field on high alert heading into the weekend.

His best weapon in Round 2 was probably his putter. He drained 164 feet of putts in Friday's round.

"No, not really," he said when asked on PGA Tour Radio if he was aware of that stat. "I've been putting pretty good this week so far, so looking to keep it going."

He's tied with Adrien Dumont De Chassart and Matthieu Pavon for the clubhouse lead with the afternoon wave on the golf course.

Akina is 5-for-5 making the cut on the PGA Tour and he's made three cuts in the last three weeks. He's clearly not afraid of the big stage. He tied for 17th at the Butterfield Bermuda Championship last week and finished solo ninth two weeks ago at the Bank of Utah Championship, played in Ivins, Utah, about four hours by car south of the BYU campus in Provo. He also finished 81st in the Wyndham Championship and tied for 16th in the Puerto Rico Open in March.

"I think I'm feeling more comfortable with each round played. This is 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. I 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."

Stay with Golfweek for all the latest news from the PGA Tour's VidantaWorld Mexico Open.

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