This past Tuesday — some 48 hours after finishing tied for 20th at the PGA's Sony Open in Hawai'i — the 16-year-old Fujikawa told The Advertiser he would skip his sophomore season at Moanalua to focus on schoolwork and some of the bigger tournaments.

But Saturday, Fujikawa said he and Moanalua coach Josh Suapaia later determined it may be possible for him to play in the minimum four O'ahu Interscholastic Association competitions to be eligible for the state tournament in May.

"I definitely wanted to do that, but last week I said wouldn't because I thought I would be missing so much school," said Fujikawa, who became the youngest player in 50 years to make the cut in a PGA event. "I think I can make the schedule work."

Suapaia said he obviously would like to have Fujikawa back, but added "we want to do whatever is best for him."

"We want to at least give him the opportunity to play and contribute to the team," Suapaia said.

Fujikawa, who shared the OIA individual title last year with Kaimuki's Chan Kim and finished third in the state tournament, said he enjoys high school golf.

"It was a lot of fun being on a team and playing for the school," he said. "I got to make friends and build friendships."