Fujikawa, a native of Hawaii, most recently made headlines being the first openly gay male professional golfer. He came to fame in 2006 when he qualified for the U.S. Open at Winged Foot, which made him the youngest ever to qualify at 15 years old. The next year he made the cut at the Sony Open in Hawaii, becoming the youngest player in 50 years to make the weekend in a PGA Tour event.
Fujikawa turned pro at 16 and has made 14 career starts on the PGA tour, with his best finish a T-19 at the 2012 Sony Open. He has competed on the biggest tours around the world. He bounced around the mini-tours for the last decade, with his last win coming at the Hawaii State Open in 2017 after announcing he was battling issues of depression and anxiety.
Fujikawa was born 3 1/2 months premature, weighing only 1 lb. 15 oz. He was given a 50/50 chance to survive. Through his notability he has helped to raise $945,000 (to date) for the March of Dimes at the annual Tadd Fujikawa Invitational. His passion to serve and give back has not stopped there. He has also been an outspoken advocate for the LGBTQ+ community.
In his coming out post, he wrote, “I can’t wait for the day we all can live without feeling like we’re different and excluded. A time when we can love the way we want to love and not be ashamed. We are all human and equal after all. So I dare you…spread love. Let’s do our part to make this world a better place.”
