There may be no crueler test in golf than Q School. Future careers and millions of dollars can rest on a single shanked drive, grounded chip or yipped putt.

Now, Tadd Fujikawa, who's gotten some acclaim but never quite yet reached Next Big Thing status, is taking his shot at the Tour via Q School. Fujikawa, you may recall, was the youngest player ever to qualify for the U.S. Open in 2006 as a 15-year-old. He was very nearly the PGA Tour's youngest winner at the Sony Open earlier this year. Now, the 18-year-old takes on a series of tournaments with far more upside than the Sony, one that will put him in line for many more Opens.

Fujikawa and hundreds of other hopefuls will wend their way through a three-stage, 252-hole gauntlet with the end result being a PGA Tour card. It's the latest turn in a career that could have raised a few eyebrows; Fujikawa turned pro in 2007 and proceeded to miss 10 straight cuts.

But he straightened out his game, and made three of four cuts this year. Now, he meets the enormous challenge of Q School. For perspective, last year 1,200 entrants took a run at Q, and only eight made it through all three stages.

This year's field is a star-studded one, featuring famous progeny like Gary Nicklaus, son of Jack, and Sam Saunders, grandson of Arnold Palmer, as well as heralded college star Rickie Fowler. Fujikawa won't have an easy route, but then it's not supposed to be. If he can make it through Q School, he'll be much more ready for anything the PGA can throw at him in 2010 and beyond.

The Hawaii teen goes to school [AP via Yahoo! Sports]