On Wednesday at Kapolei Golf Course, the primary number will be $605,000 — and counting.

It is not the money Tadd Fujikawa has won the past three years, since he last soared at the Sony Open in Hawaii. It isn’t even the cash collected since he turned pro eight years ago, as a Moanalua High School sophomore. 

It is what he has helped raise with his first seven March of Dimes Tadd Fujikawa Invitationals.

Who better to be the face of a golf tournament benefiting an organization whose mission is to improve the health of babies than a guy who fit in his grandfather’s palm when he was born?

Fujikawa, who came 3½ months early, weighed 1 pound, 15 ounces, and was given a 50-50 chance at survival. 

His mom, Lori, remembers doctors telling her on Jan. 8, 1991, that her son was not an infant. She had given birth to a “fetus.” Nothing was developed, until the doctors, nurses and machines at Kapiolani Medical Center for Women & Children went to work.

Fujikawa survived, then thrived.

“Physically I was lucky,” says Fujikawa, who finally left the hospital about the time he was supposed to be born. “There was nothing really wrong with me. The first three months of my life there were a lot of surgeries, but from what I remember growing up there were no problems or complications physically. Except being short, but that was more my mom’s genes.” 

The March of Dimes made the “perplexing and costly problem” of premature births a priority in 2003, according to State Director Carmella Hernandez. Its March of Dimes Newborn Intensive Care Unit Family Support Program at Kapiolani is there for many of the 2,300 premature babies born in Hawaii every year.

Hernandez says half the premature babies born annually are “born to healthy women like Lori who took care of themselves and did everything right, but still their babies came too soon and no one knows why.” 

At least until they do, tournaments like Fujikawa’s will go on. At the urging of the late Gen. Herbert E. Wolf, a March of Dimes board member and tournament founder, Hernandez approached the family about helping out in 2008. 

The Fujikawas knew of the problems intimately and immediately went all in, even providing kalua pork for dinner. Their “potluck” partners now are sponsors like Zippy’s, Monkeypod Kitchen, Rum Fire, the Halekulani and Tanioka’s Seafood.

“I never thought I’d be able to have my own charity tournament and be able to give back this way at this early age and so early in my career,” Fujikawa recalled. “I enjoy it a lot.”

The first benefit tournament came a year after Fujikawa turned pro. It was 20 months after the 5-foot-1, 135-pound Menehune captured imaginations by becoming the youngest in 50 years to make a PGA Tour cut.

He ultimately finished 20th at the 2007 Sony, then rode a third-round 62 to a tie for 32nd two years later. In 2010, Fujikawa finished fourth on the eGolf Professional Tour money list, blowing by everybody to win the Tour Championship by nine shots. 

He didn’t make it out of the Second Stage of PGA Tour qualifying that year, but won the Hawaii State Open before suffering through his first real slump. In vintage Fujikawa fashion, he got hot again at the 2012 Sony Open, closing with a 67 to finish 19th and collect $70,000.

It has been a grind since. He and his mom have lived near Sea Island, Ga., since he started on the mini-tours, near his instructors and the bulk of the tournaments. In that vacuum, they work on his game relentlessly, and miss Hawaii and family just as much.

“I was struggling,” Tadd says, “so I took time off from tournaments and I’m trying to work on my game and keep improving so my confidence can get back to what it used to be.”

This is one of the few times all year he makes it home, and it will only be for a couple of days. Q-School is coming up and he hopes to have status on some tour by the end of the year. 

“I’m trying to find ways to get better,” he says. “Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn’t, but I’m constantly working on myself — as a golfer and as a person. To me, that was a big deal. I’m learning what’s good for me. Now that I look back and think about it, learning about myself has been great.”

Clearly, this has never been all about golf. Family, friends and finding himself have always been priorities in Fujikawa’s unique adventure over the last eight years. So has this tournament, which has remained close to his heart.

“Honestly, it kind of sucks to struggle the way I have,” he says. “At the same time, I’ve learned a lot about myself and grown. I think in the long run it’ll help me. I know for a fact that nothing will ever be able to bring me down because I’ve already gone through some of the toughest times I’ve ever faced. 

“I’ve learned more about myself and really learned who the people are that are really supporting me and the people that are just there for the ride when I’m doing well. That has had a big impact on me.” 

Spots are still open for Wednesday’s tournament, which has a noon, shotgun start. Call March of Dimes (973-2155) to register.