Out & About

TADD FUJIKAWA, THE FIRST OPENLY GAY PROFESSIONAL MALE GOLFER, TALKS ABOUT HIS BATTLE WITH DEPRESSION & WHY HE HOPES HIS STORY WILL INSPIRE OTHERS WITH ALAN P. PITTMAN

TADD FUJIKAWA was a golf prodigy. At 15, he qualified for the 2006 U.S. Open at Winged Foot. Though he missed the cut, six months later he qualified for the Sony Open in Hawaii and became the youngest player in 50 years to make a PGA Tour cut, finishing tied for 20th. The Honolulu native decided to turn pro at 16. But since then, Fujikawa has played in only 13 PGA Tour events, and he nearly quit golf in 2014 when he lost his game and confidence. What people didn’t know was that Fujikawa had a secret, one that manifested into severe anxiety and depression. On Sept. 10 of this year, Fujikawa, 27 and living in Sea Island, Ga., announced he is gay in an Instagram post, becoming the first openly gay male professional golfer. Two weeks later, Golf Digest visited with Fujikawa in Columbia, S.C., where he was preparing for a GProTour event. During and after his practice round, where he was joined in a cart by his mom, Lori, and his dog, Waialae, a chihuahua mix, Fujikawa talked about his decision to come out, his struggles in golf, and the impact he hopes his story can have.

COMING OUT was a big deal for me. My family was all that I really cared about. I first came out to my mom a few years ago. But I told my grandmother only a week before making my announcement on social media, and my dad and grandfather about an hour before. None of them suspected I was gay. I did a pretty good job of hiding it.

WHAT IF MY FAMILY loves me less? This was my biggest fear. I think a lot of people who are gay have that little voice in the back of their head that wonders, What if? In some ways there’s still a culture of shame surrounding being gay. When I made the decision to tell my family, I didn’t know what to expect. But I was pleasantly surprised—and relieved. They all love and support me.