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SONY OPEN IN HAWAII

January 9, 2008

Tadd Fujikawa

HONOLULU, HAWAII

DOUG MILNE: Thanks for joining us here at the Sony Open in Hawai'i. Happy late birthday. We're a day late on wishing you happy birthday. At 17 years old you became I guess the second youngest person to make a start here at the Sony Open, just four days after your 16th birthday last year. Just a couple general opening comments about the state of your game and how you're feeling as you kind of look forward to the '08 season.
TADD FUJIKAWA: I'm really feeling good about my game. Of course I know this course pretty well. I've been trying to get out here and play as much as I can and get ready for this tournament. You know, I'm really feeling good about the way I'm playing, the way I'm hitting the ball, and my putting is looking a little better than it had about a few months ago. I had some struggles with my putting. But it's been getting a lot better.
I just switched my putting grip about a week and a half ago, and it's been working pretty well. I'm really looking forward to this week and I'm really excited about it.

Q. Switched to what?
TADD FUJIKAWA: Left-hand low.

Q. First time ever?
TADD FUJIKAWA: I used to practice my putting like that just so I can get a good acceleration through the ball. But this is going to be the first time I'm using it in a tournament.

Q. What's your most vivid memory of last year?
TADD FUJIKAWA: There's a lot, actually. But I think the thing that really sticks out for me the most is just seeing how many people came out to watch and how many people came out to support me. I think having the crowd there and having my family and my friends, it really helped me focus but at the same time have fun.

Q. How do you top last year?
TADD FUJIKAWA: You mean this year, how would I top it by this year?

Q. Yeah. I mean, not just a score, either, but just the newness of it, the way it was crowded in here and crowded out there.
TADD FUJIKAWA: It would be pretty tough to top last year. I mean, for me anyway, it was pretty special last year, just because I was kind of new to that thing and it just kind of came all of a sudden and I wasn't really ready for it. But it was fun.
I think the only way I could top last year would be if I win this year.

Q. Second place won't do it?
TADD FUJIKAWA: That's a tough question. Maybe. But I think a win would definitely make it extremely special.

Q. Do you feel like you have more expectations on you this year than last year?
TADD FUJIKAWA: I feel like I do, but I'm just going to kind of brush all that stuff off of me, and hopefully I can just go out there and do the best that I can. I won't have any pressure put on myself, by myself personally, and I'm just going to do the best that I can and really have fun and basically try to do the same things that I did last year.

Q. Do you feel different now that you're a pro?
TADD FUJIKAWA: No, not really.

Q. Drinking more coffee?
TADD FUJIKAWA: No (laughter). But I feel pretty much the same. Of course I'm playing for money now, but I don't really think about it honestly. Maybe I should be thinking about it.
My mom brought it up to me about three or four months ago, and she's like, "You know, you haven't made any money yet. It's so sad." I'm like, "Oh, yeah, I forgot, I'm playing for money now so I'd better start doing better."
No, I still feel the same way about golf and about the way I play the game, and I'm just going to stick to that.

Q. Has anyone started treating you differently? Have you noticed that now that you've turned pro and are known?
TADD FUJIKAWA: No, not really. Everything is pretty much the same. I wouldn't -- I didn't notice any difference.

Q. No hot chicks calling you?
TADD FUJIKAWA: No, after the Sony it was a little different (laughter). But after turning pro it wasn't too different.

Q. Do you have your license yet?
TADD FUJIKAWA: No, I don't even have my permit yet. It's so sad, but that's okay because that's the only time I get to rest is in the car, so I'll let my mom drive and then I can sleep.
DOUG MILNE: Can you talk a little bit about the decision process to turn pro and what was kind of the swinging factor in your decision?
TADD FUJIKAWA: For me it was a pretty easy decision on whether I wanted to turn pro or not. It was always my dream to play on TOUR and be competitive on TOUR. I always wanted to do that ever since I kind of pursued golf.
For my parents, on the other hand, it was a little different. They had to think about all the negative things that could happen to me. I was only thinking about the positives and what I wanted to do. I'm kind of selfish sometimes.
But my parents really had a big decision on whether they would let me turn pro or not. We have a tough time financially. We're not the most well-off family. I wouldn't be able to travel as an amateur to tournaments that I want to go to, but at the same time, you know, I really want to do this. It was kind of in between that, and the money aspect, whether I could travel.
I told my parents that I really want to do this; I'm going to do my best and just try my hardest and never give up. So they said okay, and I was pretty happy. Of course I didn't show it too much, but I was really happy after like months and months of begging.
I think it was the right decision, and I have no regrets as of right now and hopefully throughout my whole golf career.

Q. What's the plan after this week?
TADD FUJIKAWA: After this week I have to go back to school. I forgot about that (laughter). I start on Monday. Do I have any homework? I don't think I have any homework, so I'm pretty happy about that.
I play the AT & T Pebble Beach. I think it's February 4th, so that's the next tournament I know I'm in. That's going to be a really fun tournament. I really like that course. I played it before, and it's a really nice atmosphere and you meet a lot of people, so I'm really excited about that. Hopefully my golf game can really be good and hopefully I can play well.

Q. Junior or senior?
TADD FUJIKAWA: I'm a junior.

Q. So your partner in the pro-junior was actually older than you?
TADD FUJIKAWA: Yeah. I still have a year and a half of school left, so I've got to get finished with that. Hopefully I can finish that up. I may go to college, I'm not sure, but we'll see about that.

Q. What kind of classes are you taking?
TADD FUJIKAWA: I'm actually taking kind of easy classes this year. The past few years I've been taking a few hard classes, but with my schedule this year, I'm taking it a little bit easier and slacking a little bit. I'm taking marine science and I'm taking piano and Japanese and English and then math and world history.

Q. Favorite class in school?
TADD FUJIKAWA: Probably science. I really like science. Actually science and math is more my thing. I'm not really into that world history and English stuff. As long as you don't tell my teachers that, I'm okay.

Q. We don't like English, either (laughter).
TADD FUJIKAWA: I said it in front of the wrong people. I totally forgot about that.

Q. Where is the high school that you attend?
TADD FUJIKAWA: Moanalua High School.

Q. In what way are you a better player this year and where do you think you need to improve?
TADD FUJIKAWA: I think my game is a lot more consistent. That's probably the biggest thing that has changed in my golf game. My ball-striking is a lot more consistent. I think my whole golf game is more consistent. I'm really seeing a lot of improvement. I've been taking lessons up at Sea Island with Todd Anderson, Mike Shannon and Randy Myers, and it's been going really well. I've been working on my swing a lot and really working on my putting. I'm seeing a lot of improvement, so I'm really excited on this new year.
I think the things that I need to improve on is probably my short game and my wedges inside of 100 yards. It's getting better, but it's still not where I need it at yet, so I'm really trying to improve on that and just work on everything, actually. I think once I get a little bit more experience out here, I think it'll also help me a lot.

Q. How far do you hit the ball? What's your carry with a driver would you say?
TADD FUJIKAWA: Carry nowadays, probably like 275 maybe.

Q. How far do you hit a 4-iron?
TADD FUJIKAWA: 4-iron, about 215.
DOUG MILNE: Who are some of your idols or mentors, players out here that you've looked up to, and what is it about them that kind of attracts you?
TADD FUJIKAWA: I just don't -- I never had anyone that I really looked up to, honestly. Throughout my whole life in golf, I've never had anyone that I really idolized or anyone that I looked up to. Of course there's Tiger Woods, but I think he brought a whole new thing to golf. But I don't really have anyone that I idolize out here. It's just really nice seeing people that I actually saw on TV and winning tournaments and now I'm actually playing against them. So it's pretty nice and it's pretty exciting.

Q. I wonder if you could just talk about your endorsements.
TADD FUJIKAWA: I got endorsements from Aloha Petroleum. They're all in Hawai'i so far. Aloha Petroleum and HMA. It's an insurance. And Kraft Foods, so I'm pretty excited about that. It's a good fit for me. I think it matches my style very well and my stature very well. It should help me pay for some travel expenses for golf.

Q. You said that you felt comfortable playing in front of your friends and your family. I think a lot of people might feel more uncomfortable playing. Why do you feel like you feel more comfortable with the support and everything?
TADD FUJIKAWA: It just kind of relaxes me and takes I guess some of the pressure off. I think that's what helped me last year. Actually a few more friends are coming out this year, so I'm pretty thrilled about that. It should be a lot of fun. It's nice to see faces that you're familiar with, and that's what makes me very relaxed, and I think it helps me focus a little bit more.
DOUG MILNE: Tadd, thank you very much for joining us today.

End of FastScripts

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