U.S. OPEN CHAMPIONSHIP

June 13, 2006

Tadd Fujikawa

RAND JERRIS: It's a pleasure to welcome Tadd Fujikawa to the interview area for the 2006 U.S. Open. Tadd is the youngest player to qualify for the U.S. Open since World War II. Maybe you could start us off with some general comments about what it means to be playing in the U.S. Open this week.

TADD FUJIKAWA: It's certainly a pleasure, I guess, to represent Hawaii. I think just having a qualifier in Hawaii from the USGA really means something special, and I think representing Hawaii is a big thing. I think anyone that would represent Hawaii would be really happy to.

RAND JERRIS: Would you walk us through your local and Sectional qualifying and what happened there.

TADD FUJIKAWA: In the local qualifying, they took three spots. Michelle qualified first and then another professional from Hawaii qualified second, and I was tied for third with two other people. We had a three hole playoff, and then on the third playoff hole, I made a 65 foot birdie putt to win. That was kind of fun, I guess.

RAND JERRIS: In Sectional.

TADD FUJIKAWA: In Sectional I shot 71 in the first round, 1 under, and I was one shot back of the leader after the first round. I kind of felt like I had to shoot about 4 under to win. I just tried to attack, and when I had the chance, to go for birdie, and when I didn't, just make par. I really tried to keep myself in the game. And luckily I pulled through, and I'm here now at the U.S. Open.

Q. I know that Michelle beat you by a couple shots in local qualifier. When you found out she wasn't going to play in the Sectional qualifier, did you feel like your chances had improved to qualify?

TADD FUJIKAWA: Yeah, I definitely felt my chances of qualifying would be better. She's a great player, and I think everyone that made it to the Sectional would have a very good chance of qualifying because just making it to the Sectional is a really big thing.

But I felt that if I played my game and made a couple putts that I would have a really good chance.

Q. Could you talk a bit about your judo days and how you transitioned into golf?

TADD FUJIKAWA: I actually started doing judo at about age four because my family is into judo, actually my whole family is into judo. I started at a really early age, and I won four Junior National Championships. My last one was at age 12. And I think ever since my fourth one, I kind of told myself that I've done what I've done in judo, and I think it's my turn to do something in golf.

Q. Can you speak Japanese, a little bit?

TADD FUJIKAWA: A little bit, not fluently. But I know a couple of words here and there.

Q. Can you give us the ancestors, the roots of your family? How long ago did they come to Hawaii?

TADD FUJIKAWA: Honestly, I'm really not sure. My family did come from Japan, and I think it must have been somewhere around the 1900s, somewhere around there, if I had to guess.

Q. Do you know Michelle Wie or do you guys get along?

TADD FUJIKAWA: I'm actually one year younger than her but two grades below her. We've never really talked and conversed, but I've met her and said hi and that sort of thing. But I've never played in the same group as her, never had a really long conversation.

Q. Can you please give us a little bit about your Junior golf background, what you would be playing this summer, and if you weren't in the U.S. Open this week, what would you be playing?

TADD FUJIKAWA: A little bit about my background, I started playing Junior golf in Hawaii at the HSJGA Hawaii Junior Golf Association, and they've played a big part in my success in golf. And I feel that the HSJGA is a great way to start, and there are a lot of great players, especially junior golfers, that are really stepping up. There are a lot of great players in Hawaii that can really play.

If I was not playing in the U.S. Open this week, I would be playing in the AJGA FootJoy Boys' Invitational, I believe. The AGJA actually does play a big part in my competitive golf as of right now, especially the invitationals, FootJoy, Rolex, Thunderbird. But I think the AGJA and HSJGA has really helped me to improve my golf game.

Q. Who do you think the best high school player in Hawaii is right now?

TADD FUJIKAWA: Boys or girls (laughter)?

Q. I was just going to throw that out to you, boys or girls.

TADD FUJIKAWA: In girls that play high school golf?

Q. Just of your age group.

TADD FUJIKAWA: I think for girls, probably Michelle. Actually one of my really good friends, Stephanie Kono, she's a great golfer, and she just won our state high school tournament, and she actually shot 64 on the first day. She's a great golfer, also.

And I think for boys, not to be any kind of on myself or anything, but I think me or there's another boy from Hawaii, he is a sophomore, I believe, going to be a junior, and he's actually 6'2", I believe. His name is Chan Kim, and he's another great golfer.

Q. What do you think in general about Michelle and what she's trying to do playing with the guys?

TADD FUJIKAWA: Michelle is a great golfer. I mean, she's doing what she has to do to succeed. I think she's representing Hawaii well. Not only Hawaii, but just the whole game in general, she's made a big impact on that.

Q. When you qualified I was reading some of the clips and you said this hasn't really sunk in yet. Has it sunk in, and since you've been here, what's been the coolest thing you've gone through or what has maybe made this experience sink in?

TADD FUJIKAWA: I think it's definitely sunk in, but I think now it's starting to drift away since I'm here now. But it's definitely exciting. Who wouldn't be excited? It's the Open. It doesn't matter what age you are, 15, 20, 50. It's definitely a great thrill for me.

Q. Any cool stories since you've been here? Did you have trouble getting on the grounds or anything like that, to prove you belonged, anything like that?

TADD FUJIKAWA: Actually, no, not really. I mean, I never ran into anybody that said, excuse me, sir, you're not allowed in there. I think the staff is great and they've really helped me. A lot of thanks to them.

Q. Have you had any interesting meetings with have you met anybody that you wanted to meet yet? Second part is could you just kind of describe your game and what you think the strength of your game is and kind of what got you here.

TADD FUJIKAWA: I think right now the strength of my game is probably driving the ball. I'm driving the ball great. I'm not the longest of hitters, but yesterday I played and I think I only missed one fairway. I think that's definitely the strength of my game right now.

Q. I wonder how you'll approach this tournament. As a 15 year old, it's probably difficult to not think about the enormity of playing in a U.S. Open. Will you approach this like you're playing in the U.S. Open or like any other round of golf?

TADD FUJIKAWA: I think I'll just try to play it like any other round of golf, take one ball at a time, one shot at a time and stay focused. I think any tournament that I do play, I take it the same way. Whether it's a U.S. Open or a Junior tournament, it's all the same. A tournament is a tournament, and I feel that if I do stick to my game plan, just keep it in the fairway, of course, and stay focused and take one shot at a time, then I think I'll do pretty good.

Q. Are you playing with Tiger tomorrow for your practice round?

TADD FUJIKAWA: I have it scheduled, but I'm not sure if he's willing to play with me or not. But I hope so.

Q. What do you mean by you're not sure if

TADD FUJIKAWA: It's scheduled, but I think you can decline if you want to. I sure hope that I will. It'll be lots of fun.

Q. Can you tell us the story about how that how you signed up for it and how that came about?

TADD FUJIKAWA: Actually when I registered, at 7:00 o'clock I needed to tee off early on the last day because I needed to pick up my coach from the airport. So I need to tee off early, and I looked at the first tee time right away and I saw Tiger's name. And there were two other people, I'm really not sure who, but I specifically remember Tiger's name up there.

I thought about it, and I went outside, and they said, "Go for it. This is the chance of a lifetime. No one else is probably not going to do this."

I said, "You know what, I'll do that." I went back and luckily no one had filled their name in yet, so I put my name down. I don't know, we'll have a lot of fun tomorrow.

Q. Could you tell us what do you think is the strongest part of your golf?

TADD FUJIKAWA: I would say the strongest point of my game right now is certainly my driving, but I think that I'm certainly working on every part of my game, and I feel that to succeed at the U.S. Open, every part of your game needs to be good, not only one part of it.

I think my goal in the competition is certainly to make the cut. I definitely want to win, but that's kind of unrealistic, so I think making the cut would be really reasonable.

Q. What have you been doing with yourself during your downtime after you go out and play your practice round? What do you do for fun just to relax at home? Not at home, but here while you're at the tournament.

TADD FUJIKAWA: I think my free time, I think just relaxing, trying to make everything sink in and just kind of take it all in, I guess kind of relax and chill a little. I haven't had too much time to relax, but I'm definitely practicing a lot and trying to work on everything in my game.

Q. I understand you were a premature baby and you're quite small, and were your parents worried? Do they ever discuss that with you now, and do you ever talk about it?

TADD FUJIKAWA: They haven't really discussed it recently, but I think at about age eight or nine they kind of started telling me about it. I think that it's really something special that I'm actually here, alive, not only at the U.S. Open, but just talking to everybody, and I guess being alive right now. I really think that it's I'm really grateful for that.

Q. What did you weigh, and what were the procedures you required that put you in the hospital for a long time?

TADD FUJIKAWA: I was born three and a half months premature at 1 pound, 15 ounces. I think the doctors said that I had probably a 50 percent chance of living. That's about it.

Q. Is anybody talking at home about you making the U.S. Open field and Michelle Wie not making it?

TADD FUJIKAWA: Yeah, there certainly has been a lot of talk about that, especially about Michelle Wie. But I think that Hawaii has really supported me. There are a lot of people, countless names, always helping me and being there to support me.

But I think Michelle, she really is playing great, and just a few missed putts down the stretch, and that's golf; it can happen to anybody, Tiger Woods, Michelle Wie, doesn't matter. But she's definitely got a game, and she's definitely a real player.

Q. What was it like growing up? You were probably small for your age group the whole time. What was it like growing up with that and what gave you confidence when you were younger? And also, how much did the judo play into your attitude now about golf? It sounds like from what your mom said you had kind of a killer instinct on the judo mat. Tell us about that.

TADD FUJIKAWA: Yeah, I think judo has definitely helped me, not only in golf, but I think life.

In judo I always used to be the smallest and I always had to play guys that were bigger than me. I think that what I took from that is it doesn't matter how big you are or how strong you are, anyone can beat anybody. I really feel that I take that the same way in golf and everything that I do.

Q. Did you take much ribbing or kidding from kids when you were younger about your size, and was that part of going into judo?

TADD FUJIKAWA: Not really. I don't know. That's a hard question. Like I said, judo is certainly a sport that a small man can always beat the big man. I think that really helped me just in everything that I've done.

Q. What is your current height and weight? You talk about driving being the strength of your game; what's a typical drive for you?

TADD FUJIKAWA: I think I'm about 5'1" and about 135 pounds. I think my average drive is about 280 to 285.

Q. Do you take it around quite a bit like John Daly? Do you have a really long back swing?

TADD FUJIKAWA: No, actually my back swing is, to parallel, I think, not too short, not too long. I think if I try to hit it farther, then I'd spray it a little bit, so I just try to keep it in the fairway.

Q. Obviously you sound like you're a fighter out there. There were a lot of people questioning Michelle Wie and why she didn't try to qualify in Hawaii. What was your reaction when you found out she wasn't going to be in the Sectional there?

TADD FUJIKAWA: I think my reaction was I don't know if I was really surprised, but I think that it would have been nice to kind of get a second chance on competing with her. Unfortunately she didn't qualify, but she did well in this past tournament, the LPGA tournament, and I wish her the best of luck.

Q. I'm wondering, can you talk about surviving against all odds when you were born, having made it through something like that, does it give you some sort of sense that there's something special that you're supposed to do?

TADD FUJIKAWA: Yeah. I mean, I think that I am special, not only in golf but just I guess just surviving with everything that I've been through.

I don't really think about it anymore, but I just try to do my best and try my hardest. And if it works out, then it works out, and if it doesn't, it doesn't.

I think that I'm certainly trying my best, and I really will try my hardest to make the cut, and hopefully in the long run I can turn professional. I think I'll go to college first. I'm really not sure what college I'm going to, but I'll try college first. And if my game is ready, then I'll turn professional, and if it's not, then I'll keep on working on my golf game.

Q. Hawaii is a remote part of our country, yet suddenly we have a lot of very competitive players such as yourself and others coming. Do you attribute the programs that have been initiated in Hawaii inspiring Junior golf, and is that the future of our game, getting younger people playing competitively in like minded programs, and how have those programs been, not only to yourself as players, but to the other juniors getting around the islands and getting help to compete in the competitions? Just tell us about the programs in other words.

TADD FUJIKAWA: The associations, like Junior Golf Associations and things like that?

Q. Basically why Hawaii's Junior programs are different from the rest of the country because you have to get between islands to play and it's costly. Do people take care of you and encourage you and is that not a good thing for other States to follow, because Hawaii is producing some great young players?

TADD FUJIKAWA: Yeah, definitely. Hawaii is producing some great players, but I think that the Junior programs in Hawaii are really supportive, especially HSJGA, they've been great. I think everybody in Hawaii, they're really supportive. I think Hawaii is really kind of laid back.

I think everybody is pretty much supporting Junior golf, and yeah, golfers are great, and Junior golf, especially the young golfers, they're really great. I think that in the long run they're going to have some players.

Q. When you've been out on the range so far, have you noticed any reactions or has anyone actually said anything to you about how a guy of your size can hit the ball so far, any other players said anything nearby?

TADD FUJIKAWA: I think maybe my driver, it's kind of loud, and I'm really not sure who told me this, but I think some news reporter told me that I was hitting next to Thomas Bjorn, and I was hitting my driver and it's kind of loud. I hit one and then he was, like, "Whoa, that was kind of loud." Other than that, not really. I don't think anyone is really surprised. I don't know. I really don't know. But no one has said anything to me yet.

Q. Tell us what it says across your shirt and what it means.

TADD FUJIKAWA: It's Paradiso. It's a local company.

RAND JERRIS: Tadd, thanks very much for your time, and we wish you luck this week.

End of FastScripts.