Confidence high, Fujikawa fires his career low
By Helen Ross, PGATOUR.COM Chief of Correspondents
HONOLULU -- When Tadd Fujikawa made birdies on his first three holes at Waialae Country Club on Saturday, he had a very natural reaction.
"Don't blow it," the precocious teenager remembers telling himself. And Fujikawa didn't -- firing a career-low 62 that put him only two shots out of the lead at 8 under in the Sony Open in Hawaii.
| Inside the Numbers | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Fujikawa thru 54 Holes | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Of course, the leaders were still 45 minutes from hitting their first tee shots when Fujikawa finished. But that didn't matter to the thousands of fans who lined the fairways two and three deep to see Hawaii's favorite son on this sensational sunlit afternoon.
And the diminutive 18-year-old pro didn't disappoint less than 24 hours after making his first cut on the PGA TOUR. Two years ago on the same course, Fujikawa, born three months prematurely and weighing just 31 ounces at birth, had become the youngest in 50 years to play the weekend on TOUR.
This time, though, it was different. Fujikawa played with the same unbridled joy -- at times running around like a "little ant," his playing partner, Matthew Borchert said with a smile -- but there is a new sense of purpose in his approach.
"I think two years ago, I was just out there having fun," Fujikawa said. "And it was a great experience and I ended up playing extremely well. But this year, I'm out there to win. And I know I can do it.
"I'm very confident in what I'm doing right now with my game and I worked hard for it. I'm extremely pleased with the results that I've been getting recently."
Should Fujikawa win on Sunday, he would be the youngest winner ever on the PGA TOUR -- eclipsing Johnny McDermott, who captured the 1911 U.S. Open at the age of 19 years, 10 months.
More importantly, perhaps, he would be exempt for the rest of 2009, as well as the next two years. And Fujikawa, who won't even graduate from high school until May, would earn a spot in the FBR Open with a top-10 finish.
Fujikawa had to survive two qualifying rounds just to get to play in the first full-field event on the PGA TOUR for the third time in his career. He shot 67 on Monday to earn his spot and shot a solid 68 on a pressure-packed Friday to make the cut by a shot.
Fujikawa, who turned pro at the age of 16, also feels he's earning respect.
'The effect of shooting good scores kind of speaks for itself," he said. "That's always been the thing that my mom has always told me. You don't have to say anything. You don't have to say you're good or whatever. Just go out there, play good golf, and everything will take care of itself. And it does.
"Everyone says, always listen to your mom, and I guess she's always right. Sometimes I get really angry, but she ends up being right most of the time."
Once the chance to play the weekend was secured, Fujikawa felt he had the freedom to attack on Saturday when he teed off at 9:15 a.m. Hawaii time. Had it not been for a few lip-outs, he said the round of 8 under could "honestly" have been a 59.
"You need to be careful, of course, but you can be a little bit more aggressive I think since you already made the cut and you're already in the weekend," he said. "Our game plan was to be a little more aggressive today, but still be smart, not make any careless mistakes. I think we did that extremely well. I hit a few iffy shots, but other than that, it was a very solid round, and very, very pleased with it."
Fujikawa was greeted by a standing ovation as he came to the 18th green, which he had reached in two with a 3-wood to set up a 60-foot putt for eagle. A final birdie later, he ran the gauntlet of media like a veteran and was greeted with applause at nearly every step.
Fujikawa's interview in the media center was interrupted because GOLF CHANNEL wanted him to open their broadcast with Rich Lerner. The 5-foot-1 high school senior stepped on a chest to reach the director's chair, and once he got settled, his feet dangled above the box.
Borchert, a q-school grad who is playing in his first PGA TOUR event, wasn't surprised by the crowds or Fujikawa's performance. In fact, he expected just what he got -- "birdies and a lot of upbeat people.
"I knew it was coming when I saw the pairing," he said. "It was a pleasure to play with Tadd. Man, what a player. Nothing but good things about that guy."
Fujikawa credits his caddy, Shakil Ahmed, a Waialae member, with helping him stay focused on a day that could have threatened to get out of hand as he twice made three birdies in a row and finished with two straight to seal the 62.
"You can really get distracted out there," Fujikawa said. "You can ride the crowd, but you still need to stay focused when you're hitting the shot. He really helped me do that. He really helped me stay focused and commit to every shot I hit, and gave me a lot of good reads today on the putts and gave me a lot of good distances.
"I guess today's round is half me and half him, and it was an awesome, awesome round."
When Fujikawa made the cut as an amateur, he shot 66 on Saturday, stood eighth entering the final round and went on to finish 20th after a final-round 72. He says his game is more consistent now, and for the third time this week, reiterated his goal of winning.
"I can't wait for tomorrow," Fujikawa said. "It's going to be a big day, and I'm just going to go out there, same way, stay focused, and just play golf, play my game."
Shop your favorite brand name golf equipment and accessories at SHOP.PGATOUR.COM
FAN ZONE
PGATOUR.com is part of the Turner Sports and Entertainment Digital Network