Greensboro: Arjun Atwal became the first Indian, and just the sixth Asian-born player, to win on the PGA Tour when he secured a one-stroke victory at the Wyndham Championship on Sunday.

Atwal joined Japanese trio Isao Aoki, Shigeki Maruyama and Ryuji Imada and South Koreans K.J. Choi and Y.E. Yang in an elite but growing club of champions from the world’s most populous continent.

The 37-year-old, who now lives in Florida, sank a pressure-packed seven-foot par putt at the final hole to edge American David Toms at Sedgefield.

His final round of 67 left him on 20-under 260, ignited by an opening day 61. Toms closed with a 64.

Atwal’s compatriot Jeev Milkha Singh also signed off on a positive note, carding a four-under 66 for a share of the 18th spot with a total of 14-under 266. The Chandigarh golfer’s card was studded with six birdies against a lone double bogey.

“It was a long-time dream of mine to win out here but until it happens you keep doubting yourself and, believe me, I had my doubts teeing up today, even with a three-shot lead,” Atwal, who took up golf at the age of 14 in Calcutta, said.

Atwal believes his victory will resonate in his homeland.

“I’m pretty sure it’s going to be huge back home,” he said. “My in-laws called my wife yesterday and said the coverage was just unreal with me leading.

“I know there were a lot of people in India and Dubai that watched me play. I’ve had a lot of messages.”

Atwal was part of what at one stage was a seven-way tie for the lead, but he went ahead with a birdie at the 16th and came to the par-four 18th knowing a par would win.

After driving into the rough, he deliberately lashed a utility club up against the skyboxes beyond the green from where he was granted a free drop.

He hit an adequate but not great chip but caught a lucky break when fellow competitor Scott McCarron had to putt first on the same line.

“That was huge,” Atwal said.

In the end, Atwal came up one shot shy of that. Fast-finishing Toms birdied three of the final four holes for lone second place on 19-under, with Americans Justin Leonard, John Rollins and John Mallinger and Australian Michael Sim in a tie for third on 18-under.

Atwal, who did not even have exempt status on tour, only got into this event via a qualifier for four spots last Monday.

The 38-year-old had to qualify for the tournament on Monday because he had lost his Tour card because of a lack of earnings, becoming the first qualifier to win since Fred Wadsworth won at the 1986 Southern Open.

“I told my caddy, we got nothing to lose this week,” Atwal said. “We just — just go out there and try to win it. Guys are going to be out there trying to secure their FedExCup spots or whatever. We got nothing to do. I don’t have a card or anything. Just go out and free wheel it. That’s what I did, basically, this week.”

His rewards include $918,000, a two-year Tour exemption and an invitation to next year’s Masters, a tournament he has never played.

“That will be awesome,” he said. “I was supposed to get in when I won the money list in Asia in 2003, because the No. 1 gets in from the re, but they somehow gave it to the No. 2 guy, who was from China.

“That was weird. That was some kind of diplomatic relations thing going on that year.”

But Atwal is not exempt for the four-event FedEx Cup play-off series that starts on Thursday. Not that he is too worried.

Instead, he will probably fly to Thailand to celebrate his father-in-law’s birthday.

The US PGATour was the only Tour where an Indian hadn’t won before. He has broken that barrier and raised the bar for all of us
GAGANJEET BHULLAR

 

The best thing about him is that he is very relaxed while on the course. And, at the same time, he is always extremelypositive
RAHIL GANGJEE