Little man Fujikawa is huge hit at Waialae  PGATOUR.com Senior Correspondent HONOLULU -- The growth of a golfer, any golfer, is never measured in inches but in stature. Maybe he won't stand up to a shot under pressure and hit it pure every time, but he'll learn how to do it at the optimum times. Tadd Fujikawa, barely 16 years old and a mere 5-foot-1, showed his hometown and the PGA TOUR on Friday what kind of player he is and what kind of progress he is making as a player when he stepped into the realm of big-time golf and rose to an occasion drenched in historical relevance. "This is the greatest feeling in the world," the diminutive sophomore from Moanalua High School said, his face beaming.  (Greenwood/PGATOUR/WireImage)
Stealing Michelle Wie's thunder and adding lightning strikes with his putter, Fujikawa fired a 4-under-par 66 Friday at the Sony Open in Hawaii and became the second youngest player to make a cut in a PGA TOUR event. Fujikawa completed 36 holes at Waialae Country Club in 137, an aggregate of 3 under par, which currently beats all but 35 players in the field of 144, including last week's Mercedes-Benz champion and FedExCup points leader Vijay Singh. The only player younger than Fujikawa to make a cut on TOUR is Bob Panasik, who was 15 years and 8 months when he qualified for the final two rounds of the 1957 Canadian Open. Ty Tryon was 16 years, 9 months when he played four rounds at the 2001 Honda Classic. Fujikawa, who celebrated his birthday Monday, already had distinguished himself as a golfer last summer when he earned the only qualifying spot among 10 players at the U.S. Open sectional qualifier at Poipu Bay Golf Club in Koloa, Kauai, Hawaii, and, thus, became the second-youngest player in the 106-year history of the major championship. Fifteen at the time, Fujikawa didn't make the cut at Winged Foot Golf Club in Mamaroneck, N.Y., and had, in fact, arrived there still smarting from his runner-up finish -- as a freshman -- a few weeks prior in the state high school championship. His victory bid ended after going for the par-5 final hole in two and hitting into the water on the way to a double bogey. This time, with a swelling gallery and The Golf Channel following his every move, Fujikawa capped off a late run with a 6-iron from 207 yards into the par-5 home hole at Waialae CC and a 15-foot eagle putt that was as true as it was meaningful and delightful and inexplicable. Talk about growth. The eagle capped a final hour in which he rebounded from consecutive bogeys to birdie the par-4 16th hole with an 18-foot putt. That gave him breathing room for his final assault. Playing partners Steve Wheatcroft and Boo Weekley offered a true gesture of gentlemanly sportsmanship when they lagged behind and let the Honolulu native walk first onto the green. "It was his deal. It was his moment," Wheatcroft, a TOUR rookie, said. "We wanted him to enjoy every minute of it, and, frankly, we enjoyed every minute of it. He has a great game." When the last fateful putt disappeared, Fujikawa dropped his putter and raised his arms in celebration. He then offered an impassioned fist pump that would put him in the championship flight with Tiger Woods. After plucking out his ball from the cut, he turned to find Wheatcroft towering over him and offering him a high-five, which, with Fujikawa stretching up still looked more like a mid-five to the 6-3 Wheatcroft. "I just did that to make everybody go crazy," the youngster, laughing, said of his Tiger-like antics. It worked. As he emerged from the scoring trailer, several hundred fans were waiting with cheers and applause. Also waiting for him was fellow Hawaii native Dean Wilson, whose win at last year's INTERNATIONAL was just the second TOUR win for a Hawaiian-born player. Wilson, who had finished 90 minutes earlier, gave the kid a handshake and a hug. "That was awesome," Wilson said. "He's such a great kid and what he just did ... he showed a lot of game and composure." Though he trails co-leaders Luke Donald and Paul Goydos by eight strokes, Fujikawa, who shot 67 in an amateurs-only qualifier to earn his spot in the Sony Open, wasn't about to wholly give up on winning the TOUR's first full-field event. Why should he, when he has been beating odds all his life? Fujikawa was born three months premature and given only a 50-50 chance to survive. He weighed 10 pounds at six months. When he was eight and weighed just 62 pounds, he took up judo and became a national champion. Soon thereafter he picked up a golf club. Again, he's been defying belief and the laws of aging. He weighs about 140 pounds, but through two rounds he's belting it more than double that figure in yards off the tee, averaging 285 yards. But he wouldn't be where he is without working hard on his putting and having that U.S. Open experience under his belt. "Putting is so important that I actually feel you need to practice putting more than you do hitting and chipping," he said almost sagely. He's still a kid though. The Golf Channel cameras made him a bit self-conscious. "It's like everybody is watching you every time you do something," he said. Well, that's the point. But he seemed to grasp that quickly. "I guess it's something you've got to go through." Then there were his goals for the weekend. Remember, this is a kid without a driver's license but a lot of drive. He said, "I'm probably not going to win this tournament (laughter). No, truthfully, I'm probably not going to win this tournament. But I'm certainly going to do my best." His plans for tonight? "Eat, sleep, and probably watch The Golf Channel." Fujikawa's success usurped the spotlight from Wie, who in her fourth appearance playing on a sponsor's exemption missed the cut of level par 140 by 14 strokes with scores of 78-76. Ironically, four years ago as a 13-year-old, Wie missed the cut by one stroke while shooting 72-68 -- which, of course, would have been good enough to advance this year. Who says girls mature faster than boys? "I think it's great," Wie said of Fujikawa's accomplishment. "I've never played with him or talked with him (but) it's great for being how young he is. I'm rooting for him." It was obvious as the sun set over Oahu that she was far from alone. Fujikawa was so tiny when he was born that his father could hold him in the palm of his hand. Now he holds his fellow islanders -- and a large part of the golf community, too -- in the palm of his hand as he continues this blissful odyssey by seeing just how high up the leaderboard he can climb. He'll play the third round with Australia's Nathan Green at 10:57 a.m. HST. "I'm just going to go out and try to hit the shots and stay in the moment," Fujikawa said. "I know I have the shots in my bag. I just need to execute. "It's a good feeling to hit the shots you want to hit." It should. It shows, more than anything else, real growth. Copyright 2007 PGATOUR.com. All rights reserved. |
PGATOUR.com is part of the Turner Sports and Entertainment Digital Network