Atwal with his wife and children in Delhi in 2008. Picture by Prem Singh

Aug. 24: Arjun Atwal continues to be the toast of India’s sports fraternity, but in Orlando, where the history-authoring golfer has been based for years, it is back to being a “normal” dad.

Consider this: Less than 36 hours after a momentous first on the US PGA Tour, Atwal was up early to drive elder son Krishan to school, some 10 minutes away from his Keens Point residence.

“Am not sure whether any of Krishan’s friends recognised me, but some of his teachers did. They’d seen me on TV and, so, congratulated me.… Look, I’m no celebrity dad, just a normal one,” Atwal told The Telegraph this morning (US time).

Laughing, he added: “From tomorrow, I’ll have to drop my younger son (Shiva), too.... His school is 15 minutes from where we stay.”

Krishan is six, while Shiva is all of two years old and has been enrolled in “kindergarten”.

To celebrate his Greensboro success, Atwal hosted a “small party” at home last night. “We brought food from outside, sushi and the works.... A mix of friends, Indians and Americans, turned up,” he said.

A family get-together has been planned for September 1, in Pattaya, to coincide with the birthdays of Atwal’s in-laws, the Bhallas.

“It’s not 100 per cent confirmed, but we’ll most probably be going there for a few days,” he pointed out.

The buzz was that he would be flying there aboard “dear friend” Tiger Woods’s jet, but Atwal insisted “somebody was pulling a fast one”.

Calcutta-rooted friends from the golfing circuit are also expected to land up in Pattaya, once Asia’s No. 1 destination for the club-wieldingwallahs. It still has some of the continent’s best courses, though.

One understands that all will be in the holiday-mode, allowing Atwal to “chill out” before he sets out for the next challenge.

Well, life has both changed and not changed for Atwal since he lifted the Sam Snead Cup at the Sedgefield Country Club and pocketed his biggest cheque, a wowing $918,000.

For the world’s top-ranked golfer, however, life has changed dramatically in the same period --- Tiger and Elin, married for six years, have (finally) divorced.

“I haven’t spoken to Tiger since the announcement…. I did text him a message and he responded.… I hope you’ll appreciate that these messages must remain personal, between friends.…

“Of course, my wife (Sona) and I have been saddened.… Tiger has been a dear friend of mine and my wife has been close to Elin.… It’s a sad situation.…

“As friends, we can only hope that their children will continue to have the best of everything... I know Tiger and Elin want it that way. As parents, they see it as their responsibility,” Atwal said, betraying just a hint of emotion.

Friendship apart, Atwal is Tiger’s practice partner.

Talking generally, Atwal hoped that his win on Sunday would actually attract more youngsters to golf, which is seen as elitist.

“India has public parks for, say, cricket.… And, you find them across the country.… Why not have public golf courses? I’ll be delighted if the government at the Centre and the state governments come forward and make land available.…

“Should that happen, I’ll be only too happy to help in every possible manner.… In fact, it would be great if corporates got into the act as well and looked at funding public golf courses.… I’d definitely like more youngsters to take to this sport,” Atwal emphasised, rather passionately.

Asked if he would now be under more pressure, owing to the high expectations after Greensboro, Atwal laughed again and replied: “Not at all... I’m not driven by the expectations of others.… I’m not influenced by what others think.… Many, after all, had written me off, so.…

“Despite all those (negative) comments, I found a way to bounce back and do so strongly.… But, yes, having raised the bar, it’s in my hands to make the most of the opportunities that have opened up.… Bottomline is that I need to meet my own expectations.… The expectations of my wife, too.”

Let’s raise a toast to that.

Footnote: Calcutta and the iconic 181-year-old Royal are special for Atwal, but we may have to wait till either the end of November or early December to welcome him back.