When Braxton Chong was 2 years old, he could hit a golf ball 100 yards.

"No one in the family golfs, and we can't afford lessons," dad Kerwin Chong says. "I tell him that his swing 'is the swing that God gave you.' "

His parents tried their best to temper Braxton's obsession, but like a true golf nut, nothing could deter him, not even the weather.

On a windy, raining evening, Braxton, now 8, said he wanted to go to the driving range. He would not relent, so his dad bundled him up and took him to Hawai'i Kai in the rain.

"The old retired ball man was shocked that anyone in their right mind would want to brave this kind of weather," Chong says.

It turned out to be a serendipitous outing. The only other golfer out that night was the vice president of the O'ahu Junior Golf Association, who invited Braxton to try out for the Association Player's Tour.

Braxton was up for the challenge, but then came the news: During tournament play, no parents or coaches are allowed on the course.

This came as a blow to the Chong family. Braxton has Type 1 diabetes and has never been without supervision due to his condition.

The Chongs decided that it was too scary for Braxton to be out on a course by himself, so they called the OJGA to say thanks for the encouragement, but their son wouldn't be trying out.

Braxton, however, stood firm. He wanted to play.

For a little kid, he already has a track record of being a scrapper. He worked through an intense anxiety disorder through martial arts, and has brought home trophies in judo and Little League.

But this was different because he'd be out of range, farther than arm's reach.

"This issue made us confront our deepest fears," Chong says. "My wife and I stayed up many nights talking past midnight on these things."

In the end, Braxton's will won out over Mom and Dad's fears. The day of the tournament qualifying test was the first time in Braxton's life that he was out of a caregiver's sight. He did fine. He made the cut. He said it was cool.

Braxton played in his first junior golf tournament this month. At a recent fundraiser, the OJGA dedicated a portion of the proceeds for the "Closest to the Hole" contest to the Hawai'i Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation in Braxton's name. He proudly took the check to the foundation this week.

"In Braxton's life, as I suspect for all children with juvenile diabetes, all the child wishes for is to be 'normal' — like all the other children," Chong says. Through golf, "... he can experience what it is to be 'just like all the other kids' — if only for a few hours a month during a tournament, where he is free."

Lee Cataluna's column runs Tuesdays, Fridays and Sundays. Reach her at 535-8172 or lcataluna@honoluluadvertiser.com.