Our Michelle Wie-Tadd Fujikawa coverage last week provided a study in contrasts.

We went into the planning of our Sony Open coverage this year knowing our Hawai'i golfers would draw tremendous interest, especially the ones named Michelle and Tadd. We also knew that this was a nationally televised sporting event with lots of established standouts we had to cover.

This particular tournament took a strange twist as Michelle quickly went south and Tadd had a few breakthrough rounds to rise near the top.

Lucky for us, a planning meeting resulted in the bright idea to feature Tadd on Page One two days before the tournament began. Staffer Michael Tsai gave readers a nicely written profile of Tadd, and we supplemented that with a video by Greg Yamamoto.

Yamamoto also had his own bright idea. He is not only one of best photographers around, but he also seems to know everyone in Hawai'i and is always introducing people to each other out in the community. For our Sony Open special section, he introduced Wie and Fujikawa for the first time. But he had an ulterior motive. He wanted a photo of the two stars together, and we liked it so much that we ran it as a poster on the back cover of our special section.

The section also included a nifty interactive feature on the Web by Advertiser artist Minette McCabe that allowed readers to follow our local golfers hole by hole to see how they played each one.

Play began on Jan. 11, and staffer Ferd Lewis featured local golfer Dean Wilson beside a story on Sony's marketing of Michelle Wie. Lewis is a workhorse during the Open (and the rest of the year) and produced some solid pieces.

The following day is where it got tricky. Michelle Wie did poorly, and some editors suggested that the Lewis column on her disastrous day become the Page One centerpiece. I wasn't so sure. I knew we already had heavy Sony Open coverage planned and to me, playing a sports story on the front page means it must carry great significance or transcend the sports page. I also hear from readers that we should a) give Wie a break because she's 17 or b) keep promoting her in our news pages because she's an immensely talented local girl who is the subject of worldwide fascination or c) stop covering her so much and keep her off the front page.

Here's my take: It's true that she hasn't played her best in several tournaments, but if there was ever a time to step back and assess how she's doing, it would be during her play in her hometown at the Sony Open after several setbacks. Lewis captured the mood perfectly, opening his column this way: "Geez, this was painful to watch."

The dilemma with Michelle Wie is that almost all of us want her to win — I hear from the loud handful of you who don't — and when she does make history, we all know the adoring fans will be back in droves. But in the meantime, we are obligated to chronicle her ups and downs. No matter what we write or how we play the stories, there are those who think The Advertiser will never get it right. Either we are giving her too much play or too little.

Deep down, we in the media like feel-good stories, and in Hawai'i, there is intense interest in kama'aina making it big in any area, but especially in sports.

Which brings us to Tadd Fujikawa, one of the biggest feel-good stories in some time. When he made the cut after two days of exceptional golf, we were compelled to put Fujikawa on the front page with a large display of pictures. After all, he was the youngest player to make the cut in 50 years. With an engaging smile and a flair for the dramatic, the 16-year-old started attracting large crowds, many of whom walked over from the Wie gallery.

When he shot a remarkable 66 on Saturday and vaulted into a tie for eighth place, we gave him prominent placement at the top of the Sunday paper. He would have had a full-blown story and photo on the front page of Monday's paper had he won the tournament, but he shot a 72 and finished tied for 20th, still an unbelievable achievement for a high school sophomore.

It didn't end there. The next story was Fujikawa's return to Moanalua High and the reaction of his classmates, a fun story that Bev Creamer chronicled nicely. For The Advertiser, Fujikawa was a weeklong story for whom we devoted plenty of ink and cyberspace. For Michelle, we'll be right back out there with her during her next tournament, waiting to see what she does next.