The unbelievable performance by 16-year-old Tadd Fujikawa at the Sony Open was a breath of fresh air, both on and off course. The tiny terror showed himself to be as adept with a microphone in front of him as he is with putter in hand.
Some highlights:
Q. Do you think after your performance these past few days, people will stop calling you Todd or Chad?
TADD FUJIKAWA: Probably not.Q. Do you mind it?
TADD FUJIKAWA: No, I don’t mind it. It’s just – I don’t really care. I don’t know why people call me Todd or Chad or whatever. I guess Tadd is not a very common name, so not a lot of people will remember it.
Q. Do you think your life has changed at this point?
TADD FUJIKAWA: No, probably not. I mean, I’m probably going to get a lot more people saying, oh, aren’t you the kid that plays golf and did this and that. No, I’m still the same person. I’m still going to eat and sleep, and nothing is going to change like that.
Q. Was there anything that you figured out during this tournament that you have to work on?
TADD FUJIKAWA: Right now I don’t have a coach so I’m definitely looking for one. So if anybody wants to help me, then I’m up for grabs.
When fellow Hawaiian Michelle Wie was mentioned, Fujikawa spoke of her glowingly.
Q. When you saw Michelle Wie playing in this tournament at a very young age, was that any sort of inspiration for you?
TADD FUJIKAWA: Yeah, it was. You know, when she first started playing this tournament, she was doing really well. You know, at age 14, she almost made the cut. I think she missed it but one shot, was it. I think that really gave the Hawaii juniors a really big, I think it gave them something to strive for. I think it kind of told them, you know, you can do to, too. If she can do it, then you can do it, and gave them kind of an inspiration to do better.
And I think that’s why Hawaii golf nowadays is improving and there’s a lot more great players coming out of Hawaii, you know, like Dean Wilson, Parker, Michelle, Kimberly Kim. I think it’s just great for golf, period.
Michelle Wie. Trailblazer. Who’d a thunk it? I’m not about to question Fujikawa on anything at this point. Now, I wonder if we can find the newest teen sensation a coach?
–WKW
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Is Wie setting the feminine movement back by her poor performance?
Would this be devastating to the young girls who idolize Wie for the probability of beating the men?
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