Shortest pro golfer
Images
Isogood_patrick/Shutterstock.com
Isogood_patrick/Shutterstock.com
The average height of a PGA golfer is six feet. Despite being almost a foot under the average, Tadd Fujikawa has succeeded in becoming a professional golf player. He is the shortest male pro golfer to compete at the highest level, standing at just 5 feet 1 inch tall.
Almost in defiance of his stature, Tadd saw some remarkable early success; he became the youngest to ever qualify for the U.S. Open at 15 in 2006. He would become the second youngest to make the cut in a PGA Tour event at the 2007 Sony Open at 16 years old. Tadd has six professional wins. He has accomplished all this even though he was born three months premature and was only given a fifty percent chance of survival at birth.
Shortest male pro golfer
| Height | Person | Description | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5'1 | Tadd Fujikawa | Turned pro | 2007 |
| 5'4.5 | Ian Woosnam | 1976 | |
| 5'5 | James Barry Kruger | 2007 | |
| 5'5.5 | Gene Sarazen | 1920 | |
| 5'6 | Gary Player | 1953 |
Quotes
Look at me, I’m what, 5-feet-1, 150 pounds. I’m not made to play golf. I’m not made to do a lot of things. But you accept it and move on and do the best you can. Never give up. Do the best you can with what you got.
Tadd Fujikawa
I always used to be the smallest [in judo], 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 in golf.
Tadd Fujikawa
References
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Everybody Loves Tadd
“That alone has really touched our hearts,” says Lori. “If he can make one kid think that ‘I’m gonna make something out of my life’ after they saw him, or kids who are small say ‘Hey, you know what? I can do it. It’s OK that I’m small,’ I think that is the coolest thing in the whole wide world.”
MidWeek
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Youngest Open golfer ** a fighter all his life Tadd Fujikawa, 15, was a premature baby and is a former judo champ. ** U.S. Open
Today, Tadd is 5-1, 135 pounds who can hit his driver 280 yards and loves doing so. He turned his attention to golf after giving up judo three years ago. Since then, Tadd has won several tournaments, including the 2005 Hawaiian state junior title, and was named Hawaiian State Junior Golf Association player of the year.
The Morning Call
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Battling from Birth to Berth
Tadd Fujikawa was born 3 1/2 months premature and weighed 1 pound, 15 ounces. The doctors said he had a 50-50 chance to survive.
Hartford Courant
