Sixteen-year-old Tadd Fujikawa entered the world of professional golf yesterday with considerably less endorsement clout — and subsequent financial pressure — than his fellow teen golf sensation from the Islands, Michelle Wie.

"His marketability and his ability to draw the attention that Michelle did is not there," said Mark Rolfing, golf analyst for NBC Sports and The Golf Channel, who considers himself a Fujikawa fan. "She blazed a trail in the world of men's golf. ... I don't see him getting a couple of big umbrella corporate sponsors for $5 million per year."

Jeremy Elliott, golf manager for the sports marketing firm Career Sports & Entertainment, represents professional golfer and Punahou School graduate Parker McLachlin. He agrees with Rolfing that much of Wie's original appeal came from initially challenging male golfers in their tournaments.

While the men's tour is full of established and up-and-coming, name-brand golfers, Elliott said most lay people would be stumped to name the top five female golfers.

"The main reason Michelle is able to carry so much clout is that there are so few females that are marketable at this point," Elliott said. "There aren't a lot of huge names out there that carry a lot of weight in the women's golf world."

But there's also no way to ignore Wie's looks and 6-foot-1 height, especially compared to the 5-foot-1 Fujikawa.

"That definitely has an impact," Elliott said. "We buy magazines with models on the cover for a reason. She's an endearing and attractive young lady. I can't speak to how that's going to affect Tadd."

On her 16th birthday, Wie signed a five-year contract with Sony, the world's second-largest consumer electronics manufacturer, worth an estimated $5 million per year, although neither Wie nor Sony will confirm the value.

GETTING SPONSORS

Wie also has deals with Nike and Omega that Golf Digest and the Chicago Tribune estimated put Wie's total endorsement fortune at $19.5 million.

Fujikawa's attorney and agent, Kevin Bell, said yesterday that Fujikawa could potentially represent sports drinks or electronics companies.

"Their demographics and products they sell would probably fit in easily," Bell said.

Starting slowly, without the pressure of a multimillion-dollar corporate sponsorship, is probably the best thing Fujikawa can do right now, Rolfing said.

"You can try and cash in immediately," Rolfing said. "But he doesn't need that kind of pressure. He doesn't have to improve dramatically. I'm rooting for the guy and I wouldn't want to see him do something where he had to perform because of a contract in situations that might not be in his best interest."

TADD'S APPEAL

Wie continues to appeal to young and old people alike, both in and out of golf. Her Korean heritage, combined with a sometimes innocent, teenage view of the world, have made her popular in Asia, Hawai'i and on the Mainland.

But marketers could find plenty of appeal in Fujikawa and his story as a 1-pound, 15-ounce premature baby who racked up $500,000 in medical bills, then grew into a national judo champion and now an undersized, pudgy professional golfer.

Plus, there's Fujikawa's effervescent personality, Rolfing said.

"I don't care about his height, his ethnic origin or anything else," Rolfing said. "He has a personality that is so dynamic and attractive. It's like he's a magnet. He will be enormous in a few years."

Rolfing could see Fujikawa as a spokesman for a No. 2 company in its field, representing "the underdog."

"If Hertz is No. 1 and Avis is No. 2, then he would be an Avis guy," Rolfing said. "He's been a fighter his whole life. He's like a Rocky in a lot of ways. Whatever he does, it's not going to be in fashion. It's probably not going to be in equipment. It's going to be totally off the charts from what we've seen. That's why I like the idea of building his brand slowly before trying to hit the jackpot."

But Elliott could potentially foresee campaigns built around Fujikawa's stature.

"He competes against guys that are 6-foot-5," Elliott said. "I don't know if you want to market the fact that he's a shorter guy, but in marketing we're all about uniqueness."

Reach Dan Nakaso at dnakaso@honoluluadvertiser.com.