Last time Paul Goydos won a tournament Tadd Fujikawa was 5. Their very different worlds collided at this year's Sony Open in Hawai'i and the result rocked Waialae Country Club in ways no one could have imagined.

Goydos was the only leader to make a move on the back nine yesterday, closing with a 3-under-par 67 to win by a shot over 20-somethings Charles Howell III and Luke Donald. Even Goydos, 42, could not have predicted his first victory in nearly 11 years and 256 PGA Tour starts.

"I set some goals and one of my goals was to win every decade. So far I've accomplished that," the self-effacing Goydos joked after accepting his $936,000 check — more than he has earned during any of his 14 previous tour seasons. "I'm stunned. I'm still stunned."

What Fujikawa accomplished at this Sony was too far-fetched to fathom. The 5-foot-1 Moanalua sophomore, who qualified for the amateur spot last month, became the youngest to make a tour cut in 50 years Friday. Saturday, he shocked the golf world by fist-pumping his way into contention with a second straight 66.

Yesterday, the magic unofficially wore off when Fujikawa's 310-yard, center-cut drive stopped in a fairway divot on the third hole. He couldn't get the club cleanly on the ball, and his second shot from 90 yards out produced a massive divot that flew 10 yards. His ball traveled only 70, kicking left into the water.

He ended with his only double-bogey of the week and even a surge around the turn, to the delight of his devoted fans, could not put him into contention again. Fujikawa's final-round 72 left him at 5-under 275 and in a tie for 20th.

As a professional, he would have won more than $50,000. As an amateur, performing and carrying himself spectacularly well against the best players in the world on a bright stage, he won Hawai'i's heart and many others.

"I think this is probably the best that I've played," said Fujikawa who, at 15, was the youngest to ever play in the U.S. Open last year. "I think all of these people out here supporting me has driven me to hit better shots because I'm sure everybody likes it when the crowd goes crazy and starts yelling."

Fujikawa flashed his now-trademark grin and giggled. "I don't know if everybody does, but I do anyway," he said. "So I think that gives me something to shoot for."

The moon maybe, after this past week. His huge smile will be the stamp on this Sony Open. Even Goydos, who played better than anybody, was in awe.

"My understanding is he hits it farther than me and hits it better than me," Goydos said. "I think the future is going to be bright for that kid and the nice thing from what I can tell is he's a really good kid and a really nice person. That's really what's important. He should be very, very proud and his parents should be very, very proud of him."

Goydos had no problem sharing the spotlight with Hawai'i's new prodigy. He has rarely been in the spotlight in a 15-year tour career that included just one other win, in 1996 at Bay Hill. He played on a major medical extension much of the past three years. A second-place finish at the final event of 2006 salvaged his playing privileges for this year.

"I would love to think that somehow that bled into today," Goydos said earlier in the week, "but I don't know that I can even keep 10 weeks of momentum."

He went into the final round two shots behind Howell and three-putted two of the first three holes to double his deficit. It was still four shots after 11 holes, but Goydos birdied the 12th from 7 feet and Howell — who had reached 15-under by eagling the ninth — and Donald began to backpedal.

Donald had the only back-nine birdie of the final group, on the final hole. His bogey on 13 ultimately kept him out of a playoff after his eagle chip on the 18th hit the pin and bounced out.

Howell bogeyed the 12th and 13th to fall to 13-under, then could not birdie the par-5 18th, which he played in 4-under the previous three days. His second shot came up short and his chip skidded 16 feet by. Howell misread the birdie putt, which was never close.

Meanwhile, Goydos was sinking a 25-footer for birdie on the 15th and a 16-footer on the 16th to climb to 14-under, one ahead of Howell. After bogeying the 17th, Goydos' second shot on 18 stopped in front of the green, 26 feet from the hole. His chip for eagle also hit the pin and bounced 2 feet away for an easy birdie.

"I just kept grinding it out, grinding it out, grinding it out," Goydos said. "And luckily I made a couple long ones on 15 and 16, and got as lucky as you can get on 18. The chip shot misses the flagstick, it goes at least as far by as Charles' ball did."

Three months ago Goydos was prepared to return to qualifying school — "I don't have any other skills" — but surged into the top 100 on the money list with a full exemption instead. He spoke early and often of "grinding" and "reeking of mediocrity" as he played Waialae in 11-under the first two days to share the lead with Luke Donald halfway.

Even yesterday he called himself a "part-time golfer and a full-time parent." When asked why it took so long to win again his response was, "Beyond talent?" He said it felt every bit of 11 years and he really had not even had many good chances.

"You do have to get some good things to happen in order to win and today definitely I had some good things happen, obviously starting with the chip," Goydos said. "So not only did I play pretty well, but the last few holes the breaks went my way."

Howell, still looking for his second win after 193 starts, could not say the same. He sat with his head in his hands at the end.

"This one hurts," he said. "Yeah, this one hurts, this one hurts. This is going too far out on a limb, but I guess if Tiger (Woods) turns at 15-under today, he wins. That guy would have closed this tournament and won it. Vijay (Singh), same thing. I had a great chance with a two-shot lead there, as well as I played the back nine earlier in the week. Just didn't do it."

Fujikawa could not close on his magical week, but he had "absolutely" no regrets.

"Everybody out here cheering me on and rooting for me is the best feeling in the world," he said. "Even when you hit a bad shot they're still rooting you on. They just don't stop cheering for you. It's unbelievable."

So was he, starting his day by thanking a room-full of Waialae members for letting him practice on their course and inspiring cheers, roars, high-fives in the crowd and an incredible atmosphere from Friday on. His galleries dwarfed all the rest put together, and his frenetic, fist-pumping charge into history Friday and Saturday will be recalled for years.

The only advice his mom, Lori, gave him yesterday was to "Go out and have fun, but remember to be yourself or I'll slap you." She knew that would never be necessary. Fujikawa went out with a flourish after birdieing the final hole, met the press and signed a few hundred more of his autographs, which resemble a Sudoku puzzle.

Asked what his high point was, Fujikawa suddenly fell short.

"There's too many moments to choose from," he protested. "It's just unbelievable. Every hole, it's just everybody is cheering for you and I think every time I stepped on the tee and off the tee there's people calling your name. That's unreal. You never expect that."

U.S. Open champion Geoff Ogilvy had the day's best round, a 6-under 64. He surged into eighth. Rookie Doug LaBelle II, who birdied the last two holes Friday to make the cut, shot 65 to share fourth with K.J. Choi, Jim Furyk and Steve Stricker.

Reach Ann Miller at amiller@honoluluadvertiser.com.