It's not home, but it's the next-best thing for Moanalua High School junior Tadd Fujikawa, who accepted a sponsor's exemption to play in the www.Frys.com Open next week in Las Vegas. The tournament is part of the PGA Tour's Fall Series, which closes the season.

The tournament will be at TPC's Summerlin and Canyons courses. It will be Fujikawa's fifth start since he turned pro in July, at age 16. He has yet to make a cut, missing at the Reno-Tahoe Open (PGA), Jane Rogers Championship (Canadian Tour), Omega European Masters (European Tour) and Albertson's Boise Open (Nationwide), last month by three shots.

"I've been trying to get more consistent, trying to hit better shots," Fujikawa said. "I'm really close, I'm getting there. I need to learn how to score better. I'm not making use of the best shots I'm hitting. You can't be throwing away shots here and there. It will cost you a lot of money. For me, it's costing me the cut."

Fujikawa burst into golf's spotlight when he became the youngest to ever play in the U.S. Open last year, then was the youngest in 50 years to make a PGA Tour cut in January at the Sony Open in Hawai'i. He finished 20th that week, and turned pro six months later.

Rookie Troy Matteson won last year's $4 million Frys.com Open, by a shot over Daniel Chopra and Ben Crane. The tournament benefits Shriners Hospitals for Children.

Fujikawa and his family leave for Las Vegas today. He is hoping to get more exemptions before the end of the year. The family has been in contact with tournament directors at the remaining PGA Tour events, as well as those on the Nationwide, Asian and Japan tours.

Fujikawa recently shot a TV spot for Kapiolani Medical. Sports Illustrated plans to do a feature on him in December.

CHAMPIONS TOUR

ROBERTS IN SENIORS LEAD

TIMONIUM, Md. — For some golfers, a scrambling par on the first hole of the day might indicate a tough round ahead.

For Loren Roberts, a difficult par turned out to be the ideal way to start yesterday's bogey-free round. He also finished well, capping a 4-under 66 with a 2-foot birdie putt on the troublesome 18th hole for a two-shot lead over Scott Hoch at the midpoint of the Senior Players Championship.

Roberts made four birdies for a 7-under 133 total after 36 holes. Hoch shot a 68 and was alone in second place in the Champion Tour's final major tournament of the year.

David Eger shot a 67 to finish at 136, tied with Des Smyth, who had six birdies and two bogeys on the back nine en route to a 66.

Roberts began the day in a five-way tie atop the leaderboard. He saved par on the 427-yard first hole, blasting out of the left bunker within 10 feet of the hole before sinking the putt.

"I think that settled me down or spurred me on or something, because I really played solid the rest of the day," he said. "I hit a poor tee shot and was able to recover from that. If you don't, you make a bogey. A lot of it is about momentum and attitude."

Roberts made birdie putts ranging from 4 to 12 feet on Nos. 5, 6 and 15. His best shot of the day came on the 496-yard par-4 18th, when he hit a 3-iron from 208 yards to 2 feet of the pin.

ELSEWHERE

Texas Open: Jesper Parnevik followed his career-best opening 61 with a 5-under 65 yesterday to take a four-stroke lead midway through the Texas Open at San Antonio.

The 42-year-old Swede had a 14-under 126 total, the lowest 36-hole score on the PGA Tour this year. Parnevik is seeking his first victory since taking the 2001 Honda Classic for his fifth tour title.

Sweden's Mathias Gronberg was second after a 65 at the 6,881-yard LaCantera Golf Club, Resort Course.

Longs Drugs Challenge: Defending champion Karrie Webb and Canadian Lorie Kane shot 3-under 69s to share the second-round lead in the Longs Drugs Challenge, while top-ranked Mexican star Lorena Ochoa was a stroke back after a 70 at Danville, Calif.

Webb and Kane had 6-under 138 totals on the Blackhawk Country Club course.

Dunhill Links Championship: Australia's Peter O'Malley matched the course record at Carnoustie with an 8-under 64 for a share of the second-round lead with England's Nick Dougherty and South Africa's Hennie Otto in the Dunhill Links Championship at St, Andrew's Scotland.

They had 11-under 133 totals. Dougherty shot a 66 at Carnoustie, and Otto had a 67 at St. Andrews.