This is why so many people love Tadd Fujikawa, why they can't resist rooting for the little guy—whether he's rolling to a 62 or missing the cut as he did at the Sony Open yesterday with a 75 that could've been worse.

This time it was not a round full of red numbers and fist pumps.

It was not a triumphant stroll up the 18th fairway. And, staring directly into the sun, Fujikawa couldn't see a thing, not even his ball in the middle of the green.

He asked a volunteer for its location. She pointed to the hole.

Jest like that with most pro golfers at the end of a cut-missing 5-over, and you could end up with a putter around your neck.

Not Tadd. He just flashed his huge smile and two-putted for birdie.

“;I enjoy being out here. I had fun even though I struggled,”; he said. “;It's nice to know the crowd's behind me. I stayed composed, even though I bogeyed most of the back nine.”;

He also birdied No. 17, and it was a nice way to go out after an otherwise disastrous tour of Waialae. But it didn't change the fact that Tadd gets the weekend off and the tournament loses its largest single gate attraction.

The kid's not in the league of the top players here when it comes to consistency, but it's clear he's the people's choice. Fujikawa's gallery was at times nearly as big as that for the rock-star grouping of Ernie Els, Steve Stricker and David Toms.

“;He's the only reason I'm here. I ate a steak for dinner last night that's bigger than him when he was born,”; said Fujikawa fan Buzzy Buchwach. “;I don't care what he shoots. He's my hero because he has the heart of a champion.”;

Don't feel too badly for Tadd—remember, he's still a teenager with decades of great golf ahead of him. Same for T.J. Kua.

AND THERE are other gutsy performers to admire out here.

A few hours before Fujikawa charged home to save some pride, Robert Allenby limped in with a 67. He actually limped through the entire round—for the second day in a row; his sprained ankle was no better than on Thursday, when he shot 65 for a share of the lead. Now he's a stroke behind leader Ryan Palmer, tied with Chad Campbell and Zach Johnson.

Maybe it's not exactly Willis Reed (Google that name, youngsters), but it is worth noting and watching. I can't imagine how anyone can perform in any major sport at the highest level with a bum ankle ... especially over the span of several days.

But that was Allenby yesterday, dragging his right leg around Waialae to the tune of 3-under. As Star-Bulletin sports editor Paul Arnett said, the guy played better on one good wheel than just about everyone else with two.

So much for Back-to-Back Zach, or so I thought. Just as I started pondering that possibility, the 2009 champ dropped like a clown's pants from a tie for first, completely off the leaderboard with a triple bogey on his eighth hole of the day. But Johnson clawed his way back into contention. Gotta love a scrapper, even in a country club sport.

Hilo Municipal pro Kevin Hayashi finally made the cut here on his 10th try. He'd been trying since way back when this was called the Hawaiian Open.

Back when Fujikawa, Kua and Dean Wilson's 20-year-old wedge were toddlers.

Reach Star-Bulletin sports columnist Dave Reardon at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address), his “;Quick Reads”; blog at starbulletin.com, and twitter.com/davereardon.