Arjun Atwal
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Arjun Atwal (born 20 March 1973) is a professional golfer who has played on the Asian Tour and the European Tour and was the first Indian to become a member of the U.S. based PGA Tour.
Born into comfortable circumstances in Asansol, West Bengal, India, Atwal took up golf at the age of fourteen, playing at the Royal Calcutta Golf Club, (which was founded in 1829 and is one of the oldest golf clubs outside the United Kingdom). He also spent two years at school in the United States, attending W. Tresper Clarke High School, in East Meadow, NY. After turning professional in 1995 he became one of the leading players on the Asian Tour, topping the order of merit in 2003 and becoming the first man to win a million U.S. dollars on the tour by winning the Hero Honda Masters on home soil in the same year.
Atwal was the second Indian golfer to earn membership of the European Tour after Jeev Milkha Singh and the first to win on a European Tour event when he notched up a five stroke victory in the 2002 Caltex Singapore Masters, which is co-sanctioned by the Asian and European tours. A second European Tour win followed at the Carlsberg Malaysian Open in 2003. Late in the same year Atwal finished seventh at the PGA Tour's qualifying school in the U.S., earning a Tour card for 2004. His 2004 season in America was a disappointment however with a 142nd place finish.
In 2005, Atwal came close to winning on the PGA Tour numerous times, most notably at the BellSouth Classic in April. After an incredible 64 (the low round for any golfer in the tourney) in the final round of the rain-shortened event, he wound up in a five-man sudden death playoff along with Rich Beem, José María Olazábal, Brandt Jobe and Phil Mickelson. On the first hole of the playoff, the par-5 18th, Atwal's second shot went into the water, yet he almost holed his fourth shot. If he had done so, he'd have made birdie and won (Mickelson, Beem and Olazabal made pars, while Jobe bogeyed.)
After two-putting the green, Atwal made bogey, and he and Jobe were eliminated. Mickelson went on to win the tournament.
Atwal finished 82nd on the money list in 2005 to secure his spot on Tour for 2006.
[edit] Professional wins
Asian Tour (6)
- 1999 Wills Indian Open
- 2000 Hero Honda Masters (India)
- 2000 Star Alliance Open (Hong Kong)
- 2002 Caltex Singapore Masters Presented by Carlsberg (co-sanctioned with European Tour)
- 2003 Carlsberg Malaysian Open (co-sanctioned with European Tour)
- 2003 Hero Honda Masters
