Leave it to the little guy to go low. Really low.

Tadd Fujikawa, Hawai'i's real-life golf menehune, provided the Sony Open in Hawai'i with more magic yesterday, going out early and torching Waialae Country Club for an 8-under-par 62. He is tied for sixth, two shots behind leader Zach Johnson, going into today's final round.

Fujikawa, a 5-foot-1 Moanalua High School senior, charged into a tie for first before his career-low round was done — 45 minutes before the second-round leaders teed off. He drained his ninth birdie to go to 8-under 202 and had a share of the lead for 2 1/2 hours, until Johnson and Shigeki Maruyama finally found 9-under.

Johnson finished with a 66 and has a one-shot lead over four golfers, including Maruyama and 2006 Sony champion David Toms, who chipped in for eagle on the last hole.

There are 25 golfers within five shots of the lead.

Fujikawa, who tees off at 12:52 p.m. today, shares sixth with three others after yet another mind-boggling performance that drew North Shore-sized waves of spectators. Some greens had galleries more than six deep and the mob of several thousand took on a life of its own when Fujikawa sank a 6-foot birdie putt on the 17th hole.

The startling roar that birdie induced was forgotten when the fired-up 18-year-old stepped into a fairway bunker on the par-5 18th hole, grabbed his 3-wood and blasted the ball 230 yards to the green. His 57-foot eagle putt, which might have caused yet another blackout had it gone in, just missed.

"The crowd thinks they are feeding off him," said Fujikawa's mother, Lori, "but he is feeding off them."

Absolutely. Fujikawa, waving and beaming most of the day, was in his remarkable element.

"I've got a lot of fans out there, and it really helped me, getting some good momentum," Fujikawa said. "The crowd got really big by the 18th hole and it was a really nice feeling.

"I kind of feed off of that, but I think this time, my approach is a little bit different. I wanted to stay focused, and I had a goal in mind. My goal was to hit every shot not necessarily perfect, but you know, really focus on every shot and commit to it. My caddie (Waialae member Shakil Ahmed) today and the past two days has kept me in line, and it's really helped me."

After making the Sony cut for the second time in three years Friday, Fujikawa attacked Waialae in idyllic conditions yesterday morning. Two years ago, when he became the youngest in 50 years to make a PGA Tour cut, Fujikawa fired a 66 Saturday to put himself in eighth place, then faded to 72 Sunday and tied for 20th.

He had to turn back nearly $53,000 that day because he was an amateur. Six months later he turned pro. He hadn't made a PGA Tour cut since and has won just $20,000 — the majority from last year's Mid-Pacific Open championship — and made two tour cuts (in Japan) since.

That will change today. First prize is $972,000 and a win would make Fujikawa eligible to play in every PGA Tour event the rest of this year and the next two. A top-10 finish would put him into the FBR Open in two weeks.

While others marvel at what he has accomplished, Fujikawa is fighting for much, much more in the first full-field event of the year. He sincerely believes he can become the youngest winner in tour history today — by nearly 2 years — and who is arguing after the round that rocked Waialae yesterday?

"Eight under anywhere is really good," said Johnson, the 2007 Masters champion. "But Saturday in a Tour event, especially in your own backyard, that's not easy to do.

"I think obviously he's a talent, borderline phenom, considering what he's doing and how he's doing it. He went out first and earned his way. I heard he Monday qualified. I've seen him swing it and seen him putt it. He's very, very solid. It's not a surprise based on what I've witnessed, but it is a minor shock based on the circumstances. You know, he's going to be great for golf if he continues what he's doing."

He has already been sensational for Sony, again.

Fujikawa started the day in 50th place and birdied the first three holes as the crowd began to gather. What was going through his head?

"Don't blow it," Fujikawa recalled. "I was on a good roll and got off to a good start. Most of the time, for me, when I get off to a great start like that, I kind of blow it and kind of slow down, and it's not really a great round. But today, my caddie helped me stay focused and just play good golf and hit solid shots, fairways and greens.

"The putts were falling today. I hit a lot of good putts and honestly it could have been a 59. I had three lipouts, but I'll take 62 any day."

By the time Fujikawa buried his fourth birdie putt on the sixth (he bogeyed No. 4) he was in the top 20. He lipped out for eagle on the ninth, for the second straight day, but birdied that hole and the next two — chipping in on No. 11 — to climb within two shots of the lead.

At that point, Fujikawa had 14 putts. His longest par putt of the day aside from his bogey was 4 feet. Anything and everything seemed possible as he tried to chase, punch and contort himself to make putts fall — and every one had a legitimate chance of going in.

The crowd took on Tiger-like proportions, from its size to its sound. Three security guards and a small army of marshals were brought in. The gallery was made up of every color and size, with 6-year-old girls in 4-inch heels and 76-year-old grandfathers in flip flops.

When Fujikawa's drive on the 15th found the rough, a spectator playfully suggested someone "kick 'em" in the fairway. Fujikawa's father, Derrick, watched in disbelief, unable to say anything but "awesome."

It was "Taddness" out there, and Fujikawa fed off the frenzy.

"It was a good round, and my caddie, he really, really helped me today, with all of the crowd," Fujikawa said. "You can really get distracted out there. You can ride the crowd, but you still need to stay focused when you're hitting the shot. He really helped me do that. He really helped me stay focused and commit to every shot I hit, and gave me a lot of good reads today on the putts and gave me a lot of good distances.

"I guess today's round is half me and half him, and it was an awesome, awesome round."

It certainly gave the pros something to shoot at. Johnson, who has played the ninth hole in 5-under, put the most distance between himself and the little guy with his bogey-free round, but he was the only one who reached 10-under. He did it with birdie on the 12th, then parred the last six.

Maruyama parred every hole on the back nine and Brian Gay and Nathan Green played it in even par. Toms, George McNeill and Bill Haas all shot 65, which was as close as anyone could get to Fujikawa's 62, but the Monday qualifier was not gloating.

"The effect of shooting good scores kind of speaks for itself," Fujikawa said. "That's been the thing that my mom has always told me. You don't have to say anything. You don't have to say you're good or whatever. Just go out there, play good golf, and everything will take care of itself. And it does.

"Everyone says, always listen to your mom, and I guess she's always right. Sometimes I get really angry, but she ends up being right most of the time."