Last Updated on March 17, 2021 by
The shortest PGA golfer is Tadd Fujikawa measuring just 5”1 tall. Fujikawa is an American, who was born 12 weeks premature. At his birth, he weighed only one pound and 15 ounces, after which the doctor gave him a 50-59 chance of survival. His small stature doesn’t stop him from becoming one of the most successful PGA golfers. In this present world of “Hitting Bombs”, it is well believed that tall golfers have added advantages since they have long levers which benefits them during driving distance. In this article, we will talk about the shortest PGA golfer, and also mention one or two short golfers who have made a successful career in golf.
The Table Below Contains The Shortest PGA Golfers, A Brief Description Of Them, And Their Heights.
Shortest PGA Golfers | A Brief Description | Their Heights (FT) |
Tadd Fujikawa | Fujikawa had enjoyed a stellar amateur career not minding his diminutive stature. At the age of 15, Fujikawa qualified for the U.S. Open after winning all his Hawaii sectional qualifier games. His appearance at the U.S. Open made him the youngest golfer in history to qualify for the tournament. | 5”1 |
Ian Woosman | Ian Woosman enjoyed a sterling career in golf having been inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame in 2017. He was a member of the eight consecutive Ryder Cup teams from 1983 to 1997 and within his 31 matches, he had a stellar record of 12 losses, 5 halves, and 14 wins. | 5”4 |
Let’s take, for example, Dustin Johnson, who measures at 6”4 was one of the standing best drivers of the golf ball. He has a prolific record of hitting the longest drive on your since 2010. During his final round in 2011, on his seventh hole, DJ hit up 463 yards at TPC Boston. Presently, the 2016 US Open winner has been overtaken as the best driver and he ranks fourth in driving distance on the PGA Tour in 2019.
However, there is something surprising about the top 10 drivers of the golf ball, while seven of them are around 1.90 meters or even taller, there are two with just average heights (Rory McIlroy and Cameron Champ). At the Safeway Open, in September 2019, with his averaging shying of 318 yards per tote, Champ recorded his second PGA Tour victory.
His counterpart, McIlroy also has an averaging just shy of 313.5, which is just four yards back from Champs per tote. The third person to make the list of the top ten most prolific drivers of the golf ball is Wyndham Clark who dominated the top five in the category, with 311 yards.
Being a tall golfer does not really make you play well or gives you a huge added advantage over the field, especially if we consider that Tiger Woods himself is only of average height. In fact, most short amateurs who would love to become a pro one day have been encouraged by the fact that most successful pro golfers are not even really tall. So, they have a lot of successful role models of golf with small features to emulate.
Here’s a look at two of the shortest golfers to have played professional golf.
1. Tadd Fujikawa (5’1)
With just 5”1, Tadd Fujikawa is the shortest PGA golfer on our list. Fujikawa is an American, who was born 12 weeks premature. At his birth, he weighed only one pound and 15 ounces, after which the doctor gave him a 50-59 chance of survival. His small stature didn’t stop him from becoming one of the most successful amateur golfers. He had enjoyed a stellar amateur career not minding his diminutive stature. At the age of 15, Fujikawa qualified for the U.S. Open after winning all his Hawaii sectional qualifier games. His appearance at the U.S. Open made him the youngest golfer in history to qualify for the tournament.
It was in 2007, at the Sony Open in Hawaii that Fujikawa made his first cut on the PGA Tour despite missing the cut by nine strokes. At that time, Fujikawa was the second youngest golfer to achieve this feat at just 16 years and 4 days old of age.
Surprisingly, he also did well at the Hawaii Pearl Open, which was the most lucrative local tournament in Hawaii. He was the first amateur to win the tournament since 1992.
2. Ian Woosnam (5’4)
Ian Woosman enjoyed a sterling career in golf having been inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame in 2017. He was a member of the eight consecutive Ryder Cup teams from 1983 to 1997 and within his 31 matches, he had a stellar record of 12 losses, 5 halves, and 14 wins. He would later lead the 2006 European side to a 18½-9½ victory at the K-Club in Ireland.
Do You Have To Be Really Tall To Play Golf?
No! Not really. The height of a golfer has little or no impact on how well he plays, when if many people think that tall golfers have added advantages. The only thing with the game of golf is that each of the golfers uses the equipment that best suits them in terms of physique, including heights, so they can play with their full potential.
How Tall Is The Average PGA Golfer?
After a study at the 235 PGA Tour events, we got to understand that the average height for PGA Tour golfers is nearly 6 feet tall, or roughly 71.8 inches.
Final Thoughts – Rounding It Up!
The bottom line is that Fujikawa is an American, who weighed just one pound and 15 ounces having been born 12 weeks premature. At his birth, the doctor gave him a 50-59 chance of survival. His small stature doesn’t deter him from coming to be one of the most triumphant amateur golfers at the PGA Tour. We’ve come to the final chapter of this informative article. We hope you were able to find resources in your quest to know the shortest PGA golfers. Please do not hesitate to contact us for questions or comments. Thanks!