Living on the edge and loving it, Moanalua High School senior Tadd Fujikawa scrambled yesterday to make his second Sony Open in Hawai'i cut in three years yesterday, and bring his beaming smile back to Waialae Country Club for the weekend.

Fujikawa forged a 1-under-par 69 in the wind and rain to make his first PGA Tour cut as a professional. Two years ago, he was the youngest in 50 years to make a tour cut, ultimately tying for 20th here as an amateur. He turned pro five months later and failed to make the cut in six PGA Tour starts É until yesterday.

Fujikawa, who turned 18 last week, clinched it with a two-putt birdie on his final hole to finish at even-par 140. He also started the day with birdie and had just one bogey in between, scrambling so well that he one-putted eight greens with the longest from seven feet.

His goal today is not to try too hard and "just let it go."

"You know, you hear it every day — just be yourself and work hard and do your best and just go out there and play your game," said Fujikawa, who has made two cuts in Japan. "I think I wasn't doing that last year. Of course, I was being myself and stuff, but I was trying too hard. I know I can do it. It's right in front of me for the taking."

Meanwhile, back on top of the leaderboard, Nathan Green and Tom Pernice Jr. share first at 8-under 132. Pernice eagled the 18th from 92 yards, his approach shot bouncing twice, checking, then reversing into the hole to give him a 63. Green joined him by carving his second 66 through the wind and rain.

First-round leader Shigeki Maruyama is a shot back after a 68. He shares third with Brian Gay (67). Zach Johnson's 65 moved him into fifth with Webb Simpson (68). Geoff Ogilvy, who won last week's Mercedes-Benz Championship at Kapalua, shot a 69 and is tied for seventh with Boo Weekley (69), Steve Marino (67) and Charles Howell III (68).

Seventy-eight players at 141 or better qualified for weekend play.

The PGA Tour's first full-field event has been blown and bucketed by Hawai'i's rare burst of bad weather its first two days. But after all the dire predictions Thursday, yesterday's gusts of up to 35 mph — from the Southwest early then shifting in from the West — and intermittent squalls were almost a relief.

Green characterized the conditions as "a stronger version of yesterday." The Australian who learned to golf using his grandmother's clubs has three international wins and made $4 million his first three years on tour.

He was 11-under on the weekend here three years ago to grab fifth. But until yesterday, he was best known in Hawai'i as the playing partner that convinced Fujikawa to wait for an official, and ultimately favorable, ruling to help him make the 2007 cut.

Green was so smooth yesterday the rain and wind simply slid off him. He missed only three fairways and needed just 25 putts — five for birdie and four of those from within eight feet. His only bogey was the result of a bad drive off the fifth tee, with rain in his face. He salvaged bogey when his low hook hit a tree to stay out of the hazard.

"That's about the only time that I thought the conditions were really severe," Green said, "which was definitely sort of a good surprise."

So was his putting, which Green said can be "hit and miss" on Bermuda grass, but has been brilliant so far on Waialae's "perfect" greens, slowed yesterday as a weather precaution.

Pernice hardly touched the greens. The 49-year-old needed only 20 putts to shoot one of three bogey-free rounds, with 2006 champ David Toms (66-136) and Stewart Cink (65-136).

There were none Thursday. Waialae played to an average of 70.724 yesterday, more than half a shot easier than Thursday. Pernice was responsible for more than his share.

"Conditions like this on a challenging golf course, to get around in 7-under, yeah, it's a very good round," said Pernice, who has won $13 million. "You're not going out thinking you're going to shoot 7-under. You kind of plod your way around and try to hang in there. It's not necessarily something where you feel like you're going out and hitting every shot perfect. It's not going to happen in these conditions because your good shots don't always turn out good."

Pernice has been coming to Waialae more than 20 years and this is his ninth Sony. He has missed the cut six times and his best finish was eighth last year. Still, he loves the place as much as Fujikawa.

"This is as good as it gets for my family," he said. "They are not too concerned about going to many other tournaments other than this one, I can promise you. This is one we do not miss, and I love it. I think Waialae is a great, classic, old golf course."

Green and Maruyama played together for two days. As two of the tour's shorter hitters, they appreciate Waialae because its tight fairways and relatively short length (7,000-plus yards) put a premium on precision.

"I just like the course," Green said. "I think it's one of the best we play all year. It's dead flat, but it rewards guys for hitting it straight and you don't necessarily have to be a long hitter. I think you've sort of got to hit it to the corners a fair bit. It's got a lot to do with controlling your ball."

And your emotions. Maruyama has played all 11 Sonys and has three Top 10s. He nearly won in 2005. "What I took from that experience was that I can play here," he said. "I can win here. This is a course that's suited for me."

That is not how he approaches the majors.

"Major golf courses are too long for me," Maruyama said in English, bypassing his interpreter. "Seventy five hundred (yards), 7,400, big rough, fairways tight, no chance — 7,100, OK, 7,300 or over no, no good."

Told that the PGA Championship would be played at 7,700 yards this year, Maruyama could only grin.

"Oh, my gosh," he said. "No thank you. Sayonara."