ZealousGolfer.com

Maybe it's in the water of Hawaii, but it looks like Hawaiian teens have a tendency to jump the gun. Tadd Fujikawa, the youngest player to qualify for the U.S. Open and youngest player in decades to make a cut in a PGA Tour event, decided to make his debut as a pro at the Reno-Tahoe Open.

The decision to give up his junior career, a potentially great college career, and potential numerous amateur titles, has been criticized and praised by golf fans.

Regardless of the talk, Fujikawa entered the Reno-Tahoe on a sponsor's exemption. After the first round, Fujikawa was in 125th with a 6-over-par 78 to begin his career. However, Fujikawa was able to battle back somewhat on the second day, posting a 1-under 71, which was not good enough to make the cut by five shots.

While it is tough to assess a player's career based on a single performance during his or her 16th year of life, it is hard to question Fujikawa's decision. Fujikawa may go on to earn a TOUR Card in the near future, but looking to other child golf prodigies, one can easily wonder.

Here's the story of several former child stars:

1. Ty Tryon - Tryon, a product of the David Leadbetter Golf Academy in Bradenton, Florida, turned professional at age 16. During 2001, Tryon became the youngest player to hold a PGA Tour Card. Unfortunately, his career quickly turned sour losing him his Card. In 2005, Tryon had his first professional victory in an NGA Hooters Tour event. In 2007, Tryon is playing on the Gateway Tour.

2. Michelle Wie - Having spent years working with golf teaching guru David Leadbetter, Wie started signing contracts the week before her 16th birthday. Armed with deals worth over $10,000,000 from Nike and Sony, Wie went on to several mediocre seasons. Obviously, 2007 is probably the low point as Wie has posted four scores in the 80's on the LPGA Tour, which she credits to a nagging wrist injury.

3. Casey Wittenberg - Wittenberg, another product of the DLGA, graduated from high school to play for Oklahoma State. Wittenberg took 13th in the 2004 Masters as an amateur, provoking him to drop out of school in favor of a professional golf career. In the past three years, Wittenberg has made four cuts on PGA Tour sponsor's exemptions.