Even Paul Goydos, the self-deprecating champion of the 2007 Sony Open in Hawai'i, was happy to abdicate the adulation to tiny Tadd Fujikawa last year.

The 5-foot-1 phenom stole the Sony show. The only question in anyone's mind a year later is where the burglary — and deep affection — began for a 16-year-old amateur who became the second-youngest in history to make a PGA Tour cut.

Fujikawa, now a 17-year-old professional who will tee off in his second Sony tomorrow, shook Waialae Country Club last year with a game as startling as his huge grin.

"Tadd made the Sony Open what it was," said Sony's Dale Nagata, now a close friend of the Fujikawa family. "He was the man. Well, he was the boy."

Still is, for those who wonder how the last blur of a year has affected Fujikawa.

He has played eight tournaments as a pro, missing every cut. He has traveled extensively, laying over in Nevada, Canada, Switzerland, Idaho, Florida and Japan on trips from his Salt Lake home. He has fulfilled the requirements of his junior year at Moanalua High School and signed his first endorsement deals. He still practices, gleefully, every chance he gets.

Fujikawa celebrated a double eagle at the Omega European Masters with James Bond (Roger Moore) and beat up on Champions Tour player Eduardo Romero in a Generation Skills Challenge. He gave some bling to his opening round in the Albertsons Boise Open by blasting a hole-in-one.

At the Reno-Tahoe Open, Fujikawa was given his first tournament car, which he could not drive because he has yet to get his license. Just recently, he sent a Happy Holidays email to NASA flight surgeon Dan Tani, who chose Fujikawa as someone he wanted to talk to from the International Space Station. Tani returned the greeting with a shot from space of the links at Pebble Beach and Spyglass.

All it took was the fist pump heard 'round the golf world as Sony's second round faded into the sunset last January, and one wondrous weekend. Fujikawa's 15-foot eagle putt that Friday gave him a 66 and made him the youngest in 50 years to make a tour cut. In a Golf Channel contest to conclude the year, that stroke came up second to Tiger Woods as Putt of the Year.

"It looked like he won the tournament," recalled Hawai'i pro Kevin Hayashi.

"All my friends are doing the fist pump now," added Garret Hayashi, Fujikawa's caddie and a former Waialae club champion.

"Making the eagle putt and then the fist pump and big smile was definitely the highlight for me,' said former Kailua resident, and 1987 U.S. Open champion, Scott Simpson. "With Michelle Wie hurt, it was just such a great thing how everyone got behind him. The excitement was really fun that week. It was also fun the way he embraced it and kept playing so well, getting excited and making those fist pumps."

For many, "the putt" was secondary to the smitten, semi-crazed crowd and Fujikawa's humble reaction to all the adulation. Waialae head pro John Harman's most vivid memory of last year is Fujikawa's amiable personality, always thanking people and never losing composure through the craziness.

"He absorbs everything very well," Harman said. "I haven't seen a change in him. He still hangs out with the young guys he plays with here. I see him being a little boy once in awhile and that's good. There's nothing wrong with that."
Mary Bea Porter-King, who played on the LPGA tour and now president of the Hawai'i State Junior Golf Association, best remembers the story of Fujikawa returning to the clubhouse long after the final round to "personally thank all the members and sponsors face to face."

"Just hearing that," Porter-King said, "I know Tadd gets it and he will make it in life."

Waialae general manager Alan Lum called it magical. "A magic weekend," said Lum, who watched in shock as Fujikawa climbed into the Top 10 on Saturday. "First he makes the cut and for awhile there he's in contention. I was just befuddled because he was doing so well. I couldn't believe this little guy was hitting the ball as far as he was and putting the way he did. It was just unbelievable.

"He just exudes personality. He was extremely engaging. You just watch him and you want to be pulling for him."
crowd-pleaser

For others, the week's most enduring memory came much earlier. Nagata played a practice round with Fujikawa Sunday and was so impressed he asked him to join pro Steve Stricker in a Pro-Am the following day. Fujikawa shot 65 and Nagata was a believer. So was Stricker.

Broadcaster Mark Rolfing shadowed Fujikawa Tuesday for his Golf Hawai'i show. He watched as the 16-year-old discovered he could get a free custom-made putter from Scotty Cameron at the practice green, then drained his first putt with it from 25 feet out, between the feet of a couple other pros.

"I remember thinking, 'Wow, something special could happen,''' Rolfing recalled. "People ask me a lot about the crowd following him and certainly it was close to the biggest, but it was by far the most enthusiastic crowd I've ever seen at Waialae and I think it was because of him — his personality and the way he played. The gallery was living vicariously through him."

They weren't your average tour crowds. Most striking, the galleries looked a lot like the diminutive Fujikawa. Lani Chun's daughter Mari, now a collegiate star at Stanford, played junior golf with Fujikawa. Lani followed Fujikawa each day and remembers "how short they all were."

"His grandma whacked me because I told her 'I love Tadd's gallery. They must all be related because they are all short,''' Lani said. "The atmosphere ... everyone was just praying and pushing for him to do well. It was like a wave. I remember trying to get up close enough to see and trying to describe that to Mari.

"It was just awesome. I told her I wish you were here because we were so happy for him and I know Mari would have been too."

So was Brandan Kop, one of the state's finest amateurs who has played the Sony.

"I don't think people realize what he did," Kop said. "He made it look so easy. What he did was pretty remarkable. You play with the best and you're so nervous and don't feel comfortable. You've got to be able to feel comfortable and confident. I guess Tadd found a way to do that. It didn't faze him at all."

He also coped remarkably well with all that went with it. When it was over, and Fujikawa had his share of 20th place and a hug from playing partner Jim Furyk.

"I'm sure the feeling with the University of Hawai'i football team playing in a BCS game is similar in terms of local pride and the underdog factor," said Joel Schuchmann, the tour's communications manager. "It was one of those perfect storms when a 16-year-old local, who happens to stand 5 foot 1, put the entire state of Hawai'i on his back and took them on an unforgettable ride. And when it was over, Tadd was gracious and refreshing and honest with the media, without any agenda or end result in mind that I could see."

PUPPY LOVE

A year later Fujikawa has a new puppy — a Christmas present mix of Maltese and Chihuahua he calls "Waialae" — and a new Sony challenge. He has pushed the envelope a bit farther for junior golfers, especially in Hawai'i, much as Michelle Wie pushed it before him.

Ko Olina director of golf Greg Nichols, the HSJGA's vice president, compared Fujikawa's accomplishment to the first runner who broke the 4-minute mile. Once one has done it, everyone believes it can be done.

"Unlike other sports there are no age limits in golf," said Les Tamashiro, Hawai'i's Titleist representative. "You tee it up and play. He has made a big difference. Some of it, if not a lot of it, is a thank you to Michelle for making us believe."

LPGA pro Cindy Rarick also brought up Wie, who is not playing Sony for the first time in five years, but is now what Rarick calls Fujikawa's "world-famous peer." She said she remembers Fujikawa's unique presence.

"What was most memorable about Tadd in the Sony last year was watching his happy little body — and smile — go up and down the fairways, and then seeing his focus when he was on the greens," Rarick said. "It seemed like he had confidence and an optimistic attitude, which is perfect for a golfer because they believe it will be good."

If sports taught Hawai'i anything in 2007, it is that you gotta' believe.

Reach Ann Miller at amiller@honoluluadvertiser.com.