Around The Islands: Sports
Golf
Just a Tadd
by Mike Yoshiura
"I would have never imagined going to the U.S. Open. Maybe in my wildest dreams," said Tadd Fujikawa, as he flashes an ear-to-ear smile that could have lit up the entire room.
The 2006 U.S. Open Championships seemed to be scripted right out of a dream for Fujikawa, the youngest player ever to participate in the106-year history of the tournament. At 15 years, six months, and seven days, Fujikawa shattered the previous record that stood for 65 years by almost five months and 20 days. The then freshman would eventually miss the cut, but the opportunity to compete in a major tournament would go down as once in a lifetime. "It was definitely something special, and I will never, ever forget it! Maybe next year," as he lets out a laugh.
After winning his fourth national championship in judo at age 12, Tadd decided to take his golf game to the next level. "After I won my fourth national championship I told myself, 'I did everything I could do in judo, now it's my time to do that in golf.' I wanted to be competitive at golf, and that's when I started taking lessons from Kevin."
The 15-year-old takes golf lessons five days a week, under the tutelage of Kevin Rabovsky, founder of the KMR golf school at the Koolau Golf Club. "I have to golf everyday, unless I'm really sick or I'm dying. Even if I'm coughing, or I have a headache, I still go out and practice. If I don't practice I don't feel normal," he pauses, then chuckles, and says, "If I were in the hospital I probably wouldn't practice."
Golf is like a full-time job for this sophomore attending Moanalua High School. He readily admits that his success is directly tied to his passion for the sport. "Golf is my passion. This is the kind of sport where if you don't like it you will never be successful. It's something that I enjoy doing, and it's not something that anyone has to force me to do. I'm the one who tells my mom 'let's go out and practice' at 8 o'clock in the morning."
Fujikawa practices seven days a week, which accumulates to almost 40 hours every week. You have to keep in mind that school is still this teenager's main focus, so if you can't find him in the classroom he's on a golf course somewhere. For the summer, he can gross anywhere from 60 to 70 hours a week.
Most athletes select a role model that they can look up to, and mold their game around. According to Tadd, he doesn't look up to any one golfer in particular. "If you look at only one person it limits yourself. It limits your thought process, and if I look at one person and copy one person I can't possibly get any better. One person can't be good at everything!"
Fujikawa does have a philosophy that he borrowed from Tiger Woods. "He (Tiger) would rather hit a million golf balls at the driving range than play one fun round of golf. That's just passion for the game, and that is kind of how I am."
Tadd is 5-1, 135 pounds, but despite his small stature he still manages to average 285-yards off the tee. He was premature at birth, weighing only 1 pound 15 ounces, and the doctors gave him a 50 percent chance of survival. "The fact that I'm here is special, and I don't take anything for granted in life. You never know what's going to happen. You kind of have to go with the flow, and take it as it comes."
Fujikawa has been battling the odds since birth, and quitting has never been an option for him. "I wouldn't give up if they (my parents) told me to."
