Here's the state of the state: It's no longer that big of a deal to win the individual state high school golf championship.

Some of the boys' champions dating back to the first year of competition in 1966 include David Ishii, Lance Suzuki, Greg Meyer, Parker McLachlin and Jarett Hamamoto, the last of the four back-to-back winners. Girls started individual play in 1994 with Punahou School's Anna Umemura winning the first of three titles.

But so much for history.

Not to take anything away from the players in this year's state championships — the girls' that ended with Anna Jang of Punahou winning yesterday and the boys' next week also at the Waikoloa Kings' Course on the Big Island — several of the top young golfers didn't play for their high school teams this year.

The most notable absence in the prep ranks is the smiling face of Tadd Fujikawa, a Moanalua High School sophomore, and by anyone's ranking, the top amateur golfer in the state and someone even the local pros would have a tough time beating as they found out in the Hawai'i Pearl Open.

The impact proved to be even bigger for the girls' state championship. Perhaps the best three golfers — Stephanie Kono (Punahou), Ayaka Kaneko (Sacred Hearts) and Kristina Merkle (Moanalua) — decided not to play high school golf, with Kono giving up the chance to defend her state title.

That's not even counting Punahou senior Michelle Wie, who turned professional two years ago. But, then, Wie never played for her high school team as the others did.

Fujikawa says he misses the team camaraderie but it's a sacrifice he has paid for taking his game to the next level, a la Michelle.

"I would really liked to have played (high school golf)," Fujikawa said. But a scheduling conflict made it impossible.

Fujikawa needed to play in the O'ahu Interscholastic Association Championship to qualify for the state tournament. But he couldn't because it was held during the same week as the Chunichi Crowns, a Japan PGA event to which he received a sponsor's exemption.

Couldn't an exception have been made if he had played in at least four OIA tournaments during the season leading up to the championship?

"It wouldn't be fair to the other kids," Fujikawa said.

Anyway, the experience in his first visit to Japan was priceless, according to Fujikawa.

"It's the first time playing in another country. I had a lot of fun and it was a good learning experience. I went there not knowing what to expect," said Fujikawa, who went with his parents and his two grandmothers.

The reception at his arrival in Japan was overwhelming, he said, with "cameras everywhere."

Fujikawa, who missed the cut, said, "I didn't play as well as I wanted to. I was definitely disappointed. You don't want to ever miss a cut."

While playing an unfamiliar course with hard and fast greens proved too much for him, Fujikawa thought it was a good test for what's ahead.

He'll be in the local qualifying for the 2007 U.S. Open Saturday at Turtle Bay Resort's Fazio Course. He won the sectional qualifying last year at the Po'ipu Bay Golf Course to play in the U.S. Open at Winged Foot, becoming the youngest player to compete in the national championship.

The U.S. Golf Association took away Hawai'i's U.S. Open sectional qualifying after a three-year trial run. So now the local qualifying winners will have to go to a sectional on the Mainland to get into this year's U.S. Open at Oakmont.

"It's going to be more challenging, going to another sectional you're not familiar with," Fujikawa said. He's hoping what he learned from the Japan trip will help in that regard.

The USGA retained Hawai'i's local and sectional qualifiers for the U.S. Women's Open. The women's local qualifying also will be held this Saturday at Fazio with the 36-hole sectional scheduled for June 11 at the Palmer Course. Kono and Kaneko are exempt from local qualifying, having played in last year's U.S. Women's Open at Newport, R.I. But both already have made plans to go to a Mainland sectional for the 2007 Women's Open at Southern Pines, N.C.

Kono had no intention of playing high school golf, knowing that two important American Junior Golf Association tournaments in Arizona on her schedule meant missing a lot of classes.

"Yeah, I would have loved to defend my title. But I hope our team wins. We came so close last year," she said.

Kaneko, also a junior, also missed a lot of school time, having just played in a Japan LPGA event in Tokyo where she made the cut. She also tried to qualify for a couple of LPGA tournaments.

As for Merkle, going away on a seven-day trip to play in the Mizuno Juniors in Atlanta, Ga., last month cost her a chance to play for Moanalua High. "I had too much to catch up in one class," said the 15-year-old sophomore.

"I would have played if I could," said Merkle, whose resume might not include a state title but it does include the Jennie K., one of the local women's major championships.