This time around, Fujikawa plays way into Sony Open
By Helen Ross, PGATOUR.COM Chief of Correspondents
HONOLULU -- As the sun beat down on Waialae Country Club on Tuesday, Tadd Fujikawa was at the center of the practice range fine-tuning his swing.
His mother, Lori, sat directly behind him on the leather seat of her walking stick and watched each ball her 18-year-old son hit arc high into the air.
Two years ago, the diminutive Honolulu native had celebrated his birthday on the Monday of the week of the Sony Open in Hawaii, then went out and became the youngest player to make the cut in a PGA TOUR event.
This year, Fujikawa spent Monday trying to qualify -- successfully after a round of 67 -- to play for pay in the Sony Open. He's been a pro for nearly two years now, and he's still looking to recapture the magic from when he was sweet 16.
Since turning pro, Fujikawa has played five PGA TOUR events, three more on the European Tour and five tournaments on the Japan Tour. He has only cashed two checks in those 13 starts, both in Japan.
He has won several events in Hawaii, though, including the Hawaii Pearl Open in 2007 when he was still an amateur and last year's Mid-Pacific Open as a pro. At the same time, the 5-foot-1 Fujikawa is in high school and will graduate in May.
Fujikawa captured the fancy of fans everywhere with his joyful performance at Waialae in 2007 as he finished 20th. He has overcome incredible odds -- he only weighed 31 ounces when he was born three months prematurely and was given a 50-50 chance of survival.
At 5-foot-1 and weighing about 120 pounds, Fujikawa looks like he should be at the local playground, not playing with pros. He is a huge crowd favorite here in Hawaii, and he was hurt when he didn't get a sponsor's invitation to play in the Sony Open this week.
"I was disappointed," Fujikawa said. "I'm not going to lie. I really was. But then I thought to myself, what if I qualified? Wouldn't that be better for myself to earn my way in? ...
"When I qualified on Monday, that's one of the best feelings I've ever had, from not getting an exemption and feeling sorry about it to going out there and playing my way in, and hopefully I'll have a great week."
Fujikawa now works with Todd Anderson, a well-known instructor based in Sea Island, Ga. The teenager says he's put a lot of time into his game over the last six months, and he's anxious to see if it pays off this week.
"I'm feeling really good about my game," Fujikawa said. "I think I have the game to do it. I just need to go out there and do the best that I can and have fun and be myself. Sometimes I try too hard and it doesn't work out well that way, so I think I just need to go out there and be myself and have fun."
When he graduates from high school, Fujikawa wants to find a place where he can play consistently. Appearances at the occasional PGA TOUR or European Tour event are great, but Fujikawa and his instructor are also looking at mini-tours like the Tarheel Tour.
"Right now... it's hard to get any momentum going," he said. "I feel like I play well one week, and then right when I start getting my game, I feel some confidence coming along and then I'm on a break. So it just kills it."
Fujikawa doesn't regret his decision to turn pro at such an early age. His family didn't have the financial means to allow him to play a national amateur schedule, and his father was battling addiction to drugs that further sapped the resources.
"It's been a little tough," Fujikawa acknowledged. "I think I've had my ups and downs and ups and downs and downs and downs, but that's life and that's golf. ...
"The things that I've learned by playing out here and talking to the players, the people that I've met, and trying to handle the media, I think is such a great experience. No one can take that away from me, and honestly, I would not be where I am with my game right now if I stayed amateur and played amateur events."
Parker McLachlin, who became the fourth Hawaiian to win a PGA TOUR event last year at the Legends Reno-Tahoe Open, wishes Fujikawa had been able to take a more traditional path. Now that the teenager is a pro, though, McLachlin hopes he can make the most of the chances he gets.
"Play well when it really counts," McLachlin said. "Obviously he played well (to qualify), and so this week is a great opportunity for him; play well when it counts. Q-school next year, play well when it counts."
Fujikawa says the pros he's come in contact with during his travels have been very supportive -- particularly Fred Funk and Esteban Toledo. He has been pleasantly surprised at the reception at Waialae this week.
"I was out there yesterday and I swear, more than half of the pros said congratulations and good job," he said. "I think the respect that they show to me makes me play better and makes me feel better about what I'm doing."
Another made cut at the Sony Open would do wonders, as well.
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