Same old Tadd
Tadd Fujikawa is still Tadd Fujikawa two years after one of the more remarkable moments in PGA Tour history. And, yes, that’s a good thing.
Barely 18 years old and 5 feet in height, Fujikawa overcame the disappointment of not receiving a sponsor’s exemption this year, and has turned it into the kind of positive experience that makes people sit back in wonder.
As wonderful as things were 700-something days ago when he became the youngest amateur to make the cut in a tour event in 50 years, Fujikawa’s life hit some serious bumps, both inside and outside the ropes. The cuts have been harder to make, the sponsor’s exemptions are drying up and that remarkable moment at Sony suddenly seemed so like an eternity ago.
A lot of people questioned whether he should have turned pro, saying the amateur path was the better one for the Moanalua High School senior. He respectfully disagrees, mind you and said as much when asked if he had any regrets about his decision.
“Absolutely not,” Fujikawa said. “It’s so fun. The things that I’ve learned by playing out here and talking to the players, the people who I’ve met and trying to handle the media, I think it is such a great experience.
“No one can take that way from me, and honestly, I would not be where I am with my game right now if I stayed amateur and played amateur events. You know, by being out there, 17 and 18 years old, is a good experience, and I think by me doing that, it will really, really help me down the road.”
Money is always the most difficult aspect of playing golf. You need it to travel since there are not enough events locally to sustain all the things that go with turning pro. Not having sponsors to help defray those costs means few trips to the mainland to gain the experience needed to compete with players on a national level.
You can’t get better beating the same players, so Fujikawa made the leap of faith to turn pro. He took off and played wherever they would let him. He went to Japan, Europe, Lake Tahoe. Did he do well? Not on his scorecard. But he kept working hard, motivated mainly by not receiving an invite from the Sony and now, here he is again. Back with fellow local players Dean Wilson, Parker McLachlin and 14-year-old amateur Lorens Chans.
“I did ask for an exemption,” Fujikawa said. “I was disappointed in the beginning. I heard that I didn’t get an exemption; I got a letter from them. I was disappointed. I’m not going to lie. I really was. But then I thought to myself, ‘you know, what if I qualified?’ Wouldn’t that be better if I earned myself in?”
He did just that on the Palmer Course at Turtle Bay on Monday by shooting a 5-under 67.
“When I qualified on Monday, that’s one of the best feelings I’ve ever had, for not getting an exemption and not feeling sorry about going out there and playing my way in, and hopefully, I’ll have a great week.”
His expectations as he tees it up Thursday at 8:50 a.m. on No. 1?
“I’m going to go out there and win,” he said.
Paul Arnett is the sports editor of the Honolulu Star-Bulletin.
