Blythewood, SC – Tadd Fujikawa of Honolulu, HI and Aaron Goldberg of Encinitas, CA both competed in this year's Sony Open in Hawaii on the PGA TOUR and now share something else in common – the 18-hole lead in the eGolf Tour's Golf in Morocco Classic.

The tournament is the fourth of the 2010 eGolf Tour season and is being contested this week at both Columbia Country Club and Cobblestone Park Golf Club in Blythewood, SC – just north of Columbia.

Fujikawa's week began on the Ellis Maples-designed Columbia Country Club course, on both the Ridgewood and Tall Pines nines. Starting on the back nine, Fujikawa quickly made use of the flawless putting surfaces with birdies on 12 and 13, only to further validate them with a birdie at the arduous par-3 17th. After turning at 3-under 33, he would pad his round with four birdies on his closing nine for a 4-under 32 and an opening round of 7-under 65.

Fujikawa, who joined the eGolf Tour for 2010 and plans to play a full schedule, is coming off of the best finish of his rookie season – a T5 at last week's Cabarrus Classic just north of Charlotte. Through three events played this year, Fujikawa is 12th on the tour's money list with earnings of $11,660.

Tadd FujikawaPlaying as an amateur at the age of 15, Fujikawa earned worldwide acclaim when he qualified for the 2006 U.S. Open, the youngest golfer ever to do so. In 2007, he made the cut in a PGA TOUR event at the Sony Open in Hawaii, becoming the second-youngest player to achieve that feat at the age of 16 years and 4 days.

He since generated attention for carding a third-round 62 at the 2009 Sony Open in Hawaii on the PGA TOUR to burst into final-round contention, before a final-round 73 left him T32 on the week.

Fujikawa is easily one of the most recognizable non-PGA TOUR players in the world, especially given his 5'1" stature. His size is the result of being born three months premature, when doctors gave him a 50/50 chance of survival. As an infant, he fit in his grandfather's palm.

Goldberg, playing Wednesday's opening round at Cobblestone Park, began his round on the back nine with a bogey at the downhill par-4 10th, but didn't let that faze him early on.

"I bogeyed my first hole, but stayed patient and got through it," said Goldberg. "I just made a birdie here and there and then that eagle jump started me – I actually made two more birdies coming in."

The bogey at 10 was erased with birdies at Nos. 14, 16 and 18 to turn at 2-under 34, but it was the front nine (his closing nine) that really allowed for some red figures. Birdies at Nos. 1 and 4 were magnified by an eagle at the par-5 fifth, and suddenly Goldberg was 6-under on his round with the docile stretch of 7-9 still to play. Pars on Nos. 6-8 brought the former San Diego State golfer to the reachable par-5 ninth, where he would collect his sixth and final birdie on a spectacular day for a 7-under 64.

While countless players venture to Southern California and struggle with the poa annua greens and the relative guessing game they can present, just as many players struggle adapting to the Bermuda grass greens found this week in the greater Columbia, SC area. That certainly holds true for Goldberg.

"Bermuda greens are not usually my thing, but I putted terribly last week at the Cabarrus Classic, especially in my own head," said Goldberg. "I came out and wanted to keep it as simple as possible, and Bermuda helps that because all I can do is commit to a line and hit it. I can't over think it."

Aaron GoldbergGoldberg kicked off 2010 at the PGA TOUR's Sony Open in Hawaii after successfully Monday qualifying for the TOUR's first full-field event of the season. After rounds of 70-71-70, Goldberg was given a T72 finish within the TOUR's updated cut policy, but was not allowed to play the final round (finish is commonly known as MDF). Fujikawa posted rounds of 72-75—147 to miss the cut by six shots.

Regardless of his Sunday-less finish, the experience changed Goldberg's outlook on 2010 and allowed his self-confidence to boost with a full slate of tournaments on the horizon.

"It gave me a lot of confidence coming into the year. I went out and played a bunch of Monday qualifiers after that, but didn't get in," said Goldberg. "These past two events are my first since the Sony Open, so it's nice to play actual events as opposed to one-day qualifiers."

For the San Diego native, teeing it up with PGA TOUR players was nothing new. He frequently plays rounds with friends Chris Riley, Scott Piercy and Dennis Paulson when he's at home.

"I know I can hang with those guys, it's just nice to get the opportunity to prove it," said Goldberg of making the cut in his first TOUR start.

A large grouping of eight players sits two shots behind the leaders at 5-under par through 18 holes.

Among the players at 5-under are Canadian Richard Scott and Jay Haas Jr., son of Champions Tour star Jay Haas Sr.

Scott was a three-time winner of the prestigious Canadian Amateur (2003, 2005, and 2006) and was a member of the victorious 2005 NCAA Champion Georgia Bulldogs. A native of Kingsville, Ontario, Scott's lone career win on the eGolf Tour came at the 2007 Championship at Walnut Creek.

For Haas, an opening-round 66 at Cobblestone Park matched his career low on the eGolf Tour. A former standout at Augusta State University, Haas is looking to join his brother Bill in the winner's circle in 2010. Bill Haas collected his first PGA TOUR title at the Bob Hope Classic in January of this year. Jay Haas Sr. won twice on the Champions Tour in 2009 and has nine PGA TOUR wins to his credit. One of his two Champions Tour wins last year came at the Ensure Classic in Hickory, NC at Rock Barn Golf Club, where the eGolf Tour will play the Rock Barn Championship on June 2-5, 2010.

Second-round play in the Golf in Morocco Classic will begin at both Columbia and Cobblestone Park at 8:20 on Thursday morning. The tournament is open to the public and free of charge.

• At the conclusion of this week's event, the top eight members, in order of finish, will be awarded exemptions into the European Challenge Tour's Moroccan Golf Classic – courtesy of Association du Trophée Hassan II de Golf (ATH). The eight players will have their round-trip flight from New York's JFK airport to Casablanca, Morocco paid for, free accommodations at the Pullman El Jadida Resort and Spa, and complimentary entry into the tournament proper, all courtesy of the ATH.