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Atwal first Indian to win US PGA title
On the eve of the final day of the PGA tour’s Wyndham Golf Championship in the United States, Arjun Atwal, 37, who became on Sunday the first Indian ever to win it, received a text message from a friend. Who was the friend? Tiger Woods. Anirudh Bhattacharyya reports.
On the eve of the final day of the PGA tour’s Wyndham Golf Championship in the United States, Arjun Atwal, 37, who became on Sunday the first Indian ever to win it, received a text message from a friend.
The friend advised him to aim for a score of ‘21 under par’. Atwal took the advice seriously, though he couldn’t quite manage 21 under, having to take an extra stroke. But he still won the event, rated by many as the most challenging golf circuit in the world.
Who was the friend? Tiger Woods.
While Woods’ career may have taken a downturn, this was, by far, Atwal’s moment of glory. At Greensboro, North Carolina, where the tournament was held, Atwal said, “I’m pretty sure it’s going to be huge back home.”
No doubt he won by a squeaker, defeating David Toms by just one stroke. The last putt was critical and he felt the pressure. “I was really nervous over that putt, the most nervous I’ve felt in my entire life,” he admitted.
Atwal, who was born in Asansol, West Bengal, and studied at the Nassau Community College in Long Island, New York, also picked up prize money worth nearly $ 918,000 (R4.24 crore).
