Gaganjeet Bhullar says atwal's triumph on the PGA tour will now help indian golfers believe that they can conquer greater heights
Gaganjeet Bhullar says atwal's triumph on the PGA tour will now help indian golfers believe that they can conquer greater heights
It has always been a case of so close, yet so far for Indian golfer Arjun Atwal on the PGA tour. Atwal managed a total of 10 wins on the Asian and European Tours since turning pro in 1995, but when it came to the US PGA tour, he always seemed to draw a blank. Last Sunday changed things forever. Not only did the 37-year-old break the jinx, he also managed to create history simultaneously. Atwal claimed the Wyndham Championship by one stroke and became the first-ever Indian to win a PGA Tour title.
The run-up to this victory has been far from hunky dory for Atwal. In March 2007, the golfer was involved in a street car-racing incident in Orlando that resulted in the death of the other car's driver. Although Atwal was not found guilty of any wrongdoing, the extended investigation, that took a year to complete, affected him emotionally.
The chips seemed to be down for the Indian golfer, but he hadn't thrown the towel in just yet. So what better place to record his maiden PGA tour victory than at the Wyndham Championship, the last tournament of the regular season? After making his way into the tournament through the Monday qualifier, Atwal, card-less and surrounded by opponents trying to secure their place in the FedEx Cup, found himself playing with nothing to lose. Coming into the final day with a three-shot lead, Atwal eventually capped the win with a final total of 20-under 260 and walked away with a cool USD 918,000. More importantly, the Indian player has regained his position on the PGA tour until 2012.
It seemed only apt then for Atwal, who became the first Indian to qualify for the PGA tour in 2004 and then the first Indian to win on the European Tour at the 2002 Singapore Masters, to become the first Indian to make his claim on the US PGA tour as well. What he does now with his new extension on the tour will be critical. For the moment, he continues to be an inspiration. Says fellow golfer Gaganjeet Bhullar, "Players like Jeev Milkha Singh, Jyoti Randhawa and Arjun Atwal are great sources of inspiration. I remember following Arjun and Jeev's game closely when I was a kid. Today, when I enter tournaments alongside them it does wonders to my confidence.
Arjun's win is a great achievement not just for him but for Indian golf too, because it makes players like me want to work even harder and has made winning on the PGA tour seem more achievable.
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