MAMARONECK, N.Y. — The kid wore a big smile, even after shooting an 81 that didn't include a single birdie.

Tadd Fujikawa, 15, made history at the U.S. Open yesterday, and it had nothing to do with a round that included three double bogeys.

Fujikawa, who stands 5 feet 1 and weighs about 135 pounds, officially put his name in the record book as the youngest ever to play in the U.S. Open when he teed off at 9:12 a.m. local time.

He four-putted No. 1 en route to a double bogey and added three more 6s after that before walking off the course with absolutely no complaints.

"It was a lot of fun out there, actually," he said. "I hit a lot of great shots. I think I missed a couple of drives that cost me a couple of double bogeys, (but) my score didn't really tell how my day went."

Fujikawa said he wasn't nervous, even though he'd never before played in front of so many people or in such a prestigious tournament.

"Just being here and having the crowd behind you and supporting you, it's a really good feeling," he said. "It's the U.S. Open, so I better have fun. No matter what I shoot, I'll have fun."

When asked if he would have done anything differently, the Moanalua High student said: "No, not really. I'd just execute better. I had a couple missed clubs here and there and that can really get your game here. It got me a couple times today."

The USGA initially said Fujikawa was the second-youngest player to participate in an Open, behind only Tyrell Garth Jr., who played in 1941.

But after contacting Garth at his home in Texas on Wednesday, the USGA had to amend the record book. Turns out Garth was 15 years, 11 months and 27 days when he played. That's actually older than Fujikawa, who is 15 years, 6 months, 7 days.

Fujikawa's mother hung around well after the round and said Tadd wished he'd done better.

"But he's not down or anything," Lori Fujikawa said. "He just wants to get out there tomorrow and try again."

Fujikawa said he has even par (70) as the number in mind for today. "That would be pretty good," he said.

His approach will be the same. "Nothing different," he said. "Just try to hit fairways and greens. Get a better start. I four-putted the first hole today so that was bad. A lot of people four-putted that one — Vijay Singh and Dean Wilson both did. It was a tough green."