StarBulletin.com

Fujikawa heading out on smaller tour


By

POSTED: Monday, January 18, 2010

HONOLULU » Tadd Fujikawa doesn't get many opportunities on the PGA Tour these days, so it was disappointing for the 19-year-old Moanalua High graduate to fail to break par in both rounds and miss the cut in the Sony Open.

Next up is a big move, from one island to another, and a chance for Fujikawa to experience life on the tour.

Just not the PGA Tour.

Fujikawa has been spending most of his time at Sea Island in Georgia working with Todd Anderson and the stable of coaches who also work with Zach Johnson, Jonathan Byrd and others. He has signed up for eGolf Professional Tour—formerly the Tar Heel Tour—which features an 18-tournament schedule from February to October.

The membership fee is $2,000, and it cost $1,110 to enter each tournament, which is roughly last-place money. The tour pays the entry fee for PGA Tour qualifying for the top 20 players on its money list.

“;Just try to go out there and play as much as I can and get some good experience playing tournaments,”; Fujikawa said.

Leaving paradise won't be terribly difficult, for Fujikawa and his mother, Lori, have rented a house at Sea Island for the last few years. Besides, an island is an island, right?

“;It's sort of like this, except the water is kind of ... brown, to stay the least,”; Fujikawa said with a laugh. “;I don't know, I never really went in the water there. I don't think I want to. Usually, if you can't see the bottom, that's not a good thing.”;

The golf? That's a different story.

“;All of the tour pros there, and Davis (Love) and J-Byrd and all of those guys ... it's a good atmosphere,”; he said. “;It really helps.”;