To no one's surprise, Fujikawa has received a sponsor's exemption to play in next month's Sony Open, where he will be the center of attention, not to mention the tournament's ad campaigns. (He'll turn 17 on Jan. 8, two days before the tournament begins.) To cash in on all that publicity, Bell has been ramping up discussions with potential sponsors, which is how Fujikawa recently found himself in a sterile conference room atop a Honolulu high-rise. Eight other people crowded the table, including Bell, representatives of a marketing firm that he has retained and executives from go! Airlines, which services the Hawaiian Islands and the West Coast. After the lengthy ritual exchange of business cards the air crackled with business jargon such as corporate alliances, cross-platform branding and activation initiatives. Tadd sat impassively at the head of the table, swallowed up by a large black leather chair. During the 45-minute meeting he asked no questions and was content to let the grown-ups do all the talking. Afterward he was asked if the experience was interesting or torturous. "A little of both," he said.
Bell is waiting on a final proposal from go! and its parent company, Mesa Airlines, but is confident a deal will get done. Also being finalized are endorsement pacts with Aloha Petroleum, a watch company and what Bell says is a major food manufacturer. These contracts will give Fujikawa and his family some financial relief, but none of the deals will be blockbusters, and Tadd still has not signed with an equipment manufacturer. Bell is too polite to say it, but it's clear that Wie has become so radioactive that the fallout is being felt by the next teen phenom to come along.
While the business aspects continue to get worked out, Fujikawa is focused primarily on improving his game, the foundation of which is a natural swing. He is blessed with athletic genes, and in fact is the only one in the family without a black belt. Ball striking is Fujikawa's strength, perhaps a surprise for someone who is so small. "Tadd's height would be an issue if he were a short hitter, but he's not," says Todd Anderson, Fujikawa's swing coach since July. "He generates plenty of speed, and he compresses the ball nicely. I actually think his height can be an advantage, because he has fewer angles and moving parts to worry about, and it definitely helps him when it's windy."
PGA Tour journeyman Michael Boyd was paired with Fujikawa at this summer's Reno-Tahoe Open and says, "I don't think length is going to be a determining factor for him. He hit it as far as I did, and I think I'm plenty long enough to play out here."
During his recent cameos in the big leagues, Fujikawa has struggled with the pace and severity of the greens, which have also exposed holes in his wedge play. Honolulu Country Club has graciously granted him access to its facilities, but the club doesn't exactly replicate Tour conditions: At the range Fujikawa hits restricted-flight balls off artificial-turf mats, and the practice green is flat, slow and grainy. "Yes, it is a big adjustment every time I go to a tournament," he says, "and I will admit that it has been a little frustrating to struggle like I have. But I'm learning so much every time I play, and that's the important thing."
With the help of everyone around him, Fujikawa has remained focused on the big picture. He talks about a five-year plan to make it to the Tour, which is not an unreasonable timeline. Sean O'Hair and Kevin Na both turned pro before they graduated from high school. Now in their early 20s, they have become successful pros.
