For once, one can truly say without being snide, "Michelle who?"

Teen-age phenom Michelle Wie has dominated most of the headlines in local golf with fans patiently waiting for her to make the cut in the Sony Open in Hawai'i.

They're still waiting.

In the interim, there's a refreshing new face making news in golf, not only locally, but nationally as well.

And this is one phenom who actually made the cut in the PGA Tour event at the Waialae Country Club.

Tadd Fujikawa, the littlest guy in the 144-player field, made the biggest news by becoming — at 16 years and four days — the second youngest player ever to make the cut in a PGA Tour event and the youngest in 50 years.

And he did it in dramatic fashion, eagling the par-5 18th hole to finish off a 4-under-par round of 66 for a 36-hole total of 137, putting him in a tie for 25th in a group that included John Daly.

He raised his arms in triumph and gave a mini-Tiger fist pump when the 15-foot putt dropped.

The crowd roared at that emotional moment and even his playing partners, Boo Weekley and Steve Wheatcroft, were caught up in the moment at the 18th green, congratulating the youngster even before they putted out.

They also waited behind Fujikawa on the walk up the 18th fairway so that he could receive the welcoming applause alone. They knew the little warrior was walking into golf history.

Last summer the 5-foot-1 Moanalua High School sophomore was the youngest player in U.S. Open history at Winged Foot. He's fast adding to his resume.

But making the cut in the Sony Open is definitely more exciting than playing in the U.S. Open, Fujikawa said. And more meaningful because it was before supportive hometown fans.

So he's looking forward to having fun in the final two rounds, having exceeded his expectations. It'll be fun because — as the first local amateur to make the cut in the PGA event at Waialae since 1981 — he hasn't any purse money to lose.

Fujikawa's performance not only overshadowed Wie but also Dean Wilson and Parker McLachlin, two Hawai'i players on the PGA Tour.

Both birdied their final hole for 69s to finish at 141, one stroke shy of making the cut.

"I couldn't make any putts today," said Wilson, disappointed that he missed the cut here for the second year in a row. "Yeah, very frustrating. I want to play well here, not only make the cut but be in contention."

Wilson, though, was elated that Fujikawa, one of seven local golfers in the field, made the cut. "It's a great story," said Wilson, who'll play in the Bob Hope Chrysler Classic next week.

"Anytime you miss the cut, it's no fun. (But) it's tough to miss the cut by only a shot," said McLachlin, making his first start as a member of the PGA Tour.

A double-bogey 6 at the second hole proved difficult to overcome. "You make one bad shot and get penalized two," he said.

"He played a lot better than he scored," said McLachlin's caddie, Scott Simpson, who'll be playing in the first two PGA Champions Tour events at Hualalai and the Turtle Bay Resort this week and next.

Kevin Hayashi, the Aloha Section PGA player of the year, shot a 73—147 to go 0 for 5 in the Sony Open. But he came away with nothing but praise for Fujikawa.

"I practiced with Tadd the whole week and that boy is remarkable. He hits the ball so solid and so straight," he said. "I knew he was something special."

As for Wie, well, she finished 14-over-par at 76—154, her worst showing in four Sony Open outings. The only two players she beat out were David Chin (84—160) and Abe Mariano (82—165), two local sectional qualifiers.