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Tadd Fujikawa, who became in 2007 the second youngest player to make the cup at a PGA Tour event, became gay, and he would be the first professional golfer to do it.
"I can not wait for the day when we can all live without the impression of being different and excluded," he said recently in an article on Instagram.
"I came and went for a while about my sexuality," said Fujikawa, 27. "I thought I did not need to go out because it does not matter if anyone knows it, but I remember how much the stories of others helped me in my darkest moments." to have hope.
"I spent way too much time pretending, hiding and hating who I was," he continued. "I've always been scared of what others would think / say, I've had mental health problems for many years and it puts me in a very bad place," he said. pursued. "Now, I am defending myself and the rest of the LGBTQ community in the hope of being a source of inspiration and making a difference in someone's life."
Fujikawa's golfer career has weakened in recent years, having made its appearance in adolescence. He qualified for the US Open in 2006 as a 15-year-old amateur, and he became professional the following year, having reached the weekend at the Sony Open in his native Hawaii.
He made a dozen starts in the PGA Tour between 2007 and 2012, the latter having seen the most recent opportunity on which he made a cup on this circuit, and he played in the Sony Open 2017. Fujikawa also participated in PGA sanctioned Web.com and Mackenzie Tours, and participated in four events in Canada last year.
Fujikawa shared his difficulties with anxiety and depression in the past, claiming in a July article in social media that some recent therapy sessions had led to "a significant improvement in my mental health." In December, after winning the Hawaii State Open for what he described as his first win in seven years, he expressed gratitude "to all those who have supported me and have made me proud." helped keep going when I was at the lowest.
In this week's post, Fujikawa said, "I do not expect everyone to understand or accept me, but please, have the courage to not post will inspire everyone of you to be more empathetic and loving towards each other. "
"You are the man Tadd! The world could use a little more love these days," said another professional golfer, Mackenzie Hughes, on Twitter on Wednesday.
Fujikawa told Outsports: "The love and support have been amazing, I'm so happy that I'm out, I can finally be the best version of me."
According to Outsports, a website that examines the intersection of sports and LGBTQ issues, Mianne Bagger, Alena Sharp and Rosie Jones have been pro active golfers. In a book published in 2010 (via Golf.com), LPGA player Christina Kim said there were "no more than two dozen gay women on tour" out of a total of about 230 women.
"Whether LGBTQ is what you support or not, we need to liberate ourselves and encourage each other to be our best selves, no matter what," Fujikawa said in his post. "It's the only way to make this world better for future generations."
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