Arjun Atwal
Encyclopedia
Arjun Singh Atwal is an India
n professional golf
er who has played on the Asian Tour
and the European Tour and is the first player born in India to become a member of, and later win on the U.S.-based PGA Tour
.
family to Harminder Singh Atwal (a well known industrialist) of Asansol
and Kolkata
, West Bengal
, India
, Atwal took up golf at the age of fourteen, playing at the Royal Calcutta Golf Club and Tollygunge Club
. He also spent two years at school in the United States, attending W. Tresper Clarke High School
, in Westbury, New York
. His elder brother Govind Singh Atwal is also a keen golfer.
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 was 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 PGA Tour card for 2004, making him the first native East Indian golfer to do so. (The most famous golfer of Indian origin, longtime PGA Tour mainstay and multiple major winner Vijay Singh
, is a native of Fiji
.) In his 2004 rookie season on the PGA Tour, he finished 142nd on the money list.
In 2005, Atwal came close to winning on the PGA Tour numerous times, most notably at the BellSouth Classic
in April. After posting a 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 would 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.
Atwal was involved in a crash possibly associated with street racing on SR 535, in Windermere, Florida
, on 10 March 2007, according to the Florida Highway Patrol. Atwal was not injured, and after a year of investigation, the case was closed with no charges filed. A second driver, John Noah Park, 48, was killed in the incident.
After the 2010 RBC Canadian Open, Atwal lost his PGA Tour card after his medical exemption, received due to a shoulder injury, ran out and he had failed to earn enough money. He later regained his playing privileges on the PGA Tour through 2012 and obtained an invitation into the 2011 Masters Tournament
by Monday qualifying for and later recording his maiden victory on the PGA Tour at the Wyndham Championship, the final tournament of the regular season. He became the first Indian-born player to ever win on the PGA Tour, and was the first Monday qualifier to win a PGA Tour event since Fred Wadsworth
won the 1986 Southern Open. Because he had lost his tour card, he received no FedEx Cup
points for his victory and had not earned enough points previously to make the playoffs. He has been a neighbour and practice partner of Tiger Woods
for five years at home in Florida.
After failing to qualify for the FedEx Cup in 2010, Atwal entered the 2011 playoff series 123rd.
DNP = Did not play
CUT = missed the half-way cut
"T" = tied
Yellow background for top-10.
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
n professional golf
Golf
Golf is a precision club and ball sport, in which competing players use many types of clubs to hit balls into a series of holes on a golf course using the fewest number of strokes....
er who has played on the Asian Tour
Asian Tour
The Asian Tour is the principal men's professional golf tour in Asia except for Japan, which has its own Japan Golf Tour, which is also a full member of the International Federation of PGA Tours. The Asian Tour is administered from offices in Singapore...
and the European Tour and is the first player born in India to become a member of, and later win on the U.S.-based PGA Tour
PGA Tour
The PGA Tour is the organizer of the main men's professional golf tours in the United States and North America...
.
Early life
Born in a SikhSikh
A Sikh is a follower of Sikhism. It primarily originated in the 15th century in the Punjab region of South Asia. The term "Sikh" has its origin in Sanskrit term शिष्य , meaning "disciple, student" or शिक्ष , meaning "instruction"...
family to Harminder Singh Atwal (a well known industrialist) of Asansol
Asansol
Asansol is a coal mining and industrial metropolis and one of the busiest commercial centres in India. It is the second largest city and urban agglomeration in West Bengal after Kolkata and the 19th largest urban agglomeration in India. Asansol is located in the western part of the Burdwan...
and Kolkata
Kolkata
Kolkata , formerly known as Calcutta, is the capital of the Indian state of West Bengal. Located on the east bank of the Hooghly River, it was the commercial capital of East India...
, West Bengal
West Bengal
West Bengal is a state in the eastern region of India and is the nation's fourth-most populous. It is also the seventh-most populous sub-national entity in the world, with over 91 million inhabitants. A major agricultural producer, West Bengal is the sixth-largest contributor to India's GDP...
, India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
, Atwal took up golf at the age of fourteen, playing at the Royal Calcutta Golf Club and Tollygunge Club
Tollygunge Club
The Tollygunge Club, popularly called the Tolly, is a country club with, among other facilities, a 18-hole course located in Tollygunge in South Kolkata. The course has a yardage of 6520/5686 and Par: 71....
. He also spent two years at school in the United States, attending W. Tresper Clarke High School
W. Tresper Clarke High School
W. Tresper Clarke High School is a high school in Westbury New York, USA. It is operated by the East Meadow Union Free School District, also known as the East Meadow School District. The school opened in 1957, and was named in honor of W. Tresper Clarke, a former president of the East Meadow...
, in Westbury, New York
Westbury, New York
Westbury incorporated in 1932 as a village in Nassau County, New York in the United States. The population was 15,146 at the 2010 census.The Village of Westbury is in the Town of North Hempstead....
. His elder brother Govind Singh Atwal is also a keen golfer.
Career
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 SinghJeev Milkha Singh
Jeev Milkha Singh is the first Indian professional golfer to become a member of the European Tour. He is the highest ranked Indian golfer in the world and first broke into the top 100 in October 2006.-Early life:...
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 was 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
Qualifying school
In professional golf the term qualifying school is used for the annual qualifying tournaments for leading golf tours such as the U.S. based PGA and LPGA Tours and the European Tour. A fixed number of players in the event win membership of the tour for the following season, otherwise known as a...
in the U.S., earning a PGA Tour card for 2004, making him the first native East Indian golfer to do so. (The most famous golfer of Indian origin, longtime PGA Tour mainstay and multiple major winner Vijay Singh
Vijay Singh
Vijay Singh, CF , nicknamed "The Big Fijian", is a Fijian professional golfer who was Number 1 in the Official World Golf Rankings for 32 weeks in 2004 and 2005. He has won three major championships and was the leading PGA Tour money winner in 2003, 2004 and 2008...
, is a native of Fiji
Fiji
Fiji , officially the Republic of Fiji , is an island nation in Melanesia in the South Pacific Ocean about northeast of New Zealand's North Island...
.) In his 2004 rookie season on the PGA Tour, he finished 142nd on the money list.
In 2005, Atwal came close to winning on the PGA Tour numerous times, most notably at the BellSouth Classic
BellSouth Classic
The AT&T Classic was a regular golf tournament on the PGA Tour. AT&T was the last title sponsor of the tournament. The tournament was founded in 1967 as the Atlanta Classic although previous events dating to 1934 are included in the PGA Tour's past winners list. From 1967 to 1996, it was played...
in April. After posting a 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
Rich Beem
Richard Michael Beem is an American professional golfer who plays on the PGA Tour.Beem was born in Phoenix, Arizona, grew up in El Paso, Texas, and played golf at New Mexico State University in Las Cruces, New Mexico....
, José María Olazábal
José María Olazábal
José María Olazábal Manterola is a Spanish professional golfer who has enjoyed success on both the European Tour and the PGA Tour, and has won two major championships.-Career outline:...
, Brandt Jobe
Brandt Jobe
Brandt William Jobe is an American professional golfer who currently plays on the PGA Tour but has previously competed on the Nationwide Tour and the Japan Golf Tour....
and Phil Mickelson
Phil Mickelson
Philip Alfred Mickelson is an American professional golfer. He has won four major championships and a total of 39 events on the PGA Tour. He has reached a career high world ranking of 2nd in multiple years. He is nicknamed "Lefty" for his left-handed swing, even though he is otherwise right-handed...
. 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 would 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.
Atwal was involved in a crash possibly associated with street racing on SR 535, in Windermere, Florida
Florida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
, on 10 March 2007, according to the Florida Highway Patrol. Atwal was not injured, and after a year of investigation, the case was closed with no charges filed. A second driver, John Noah Park, 48, was killed in the incident.
After the 2010 RBC Canadian Open, Atwal lost his PGA Tour card after his medical exemption, received due to a shoulder injury, ran out and he had failed to earn enough money. He later regained his playing privileges on the PGA Tour through 2012 and obtained an invitation into the 2011 Masters Tournament
2011 Masters Tournament
The 2011 Masters Tournament was the 75th Masters Tournament and was played from April 7–10 at Augusta National Golf Club. It was the first major championship of the 2011 season. South African Charl Schwartzel won the 2011 event by two strokes over Adam Scott and Jason Day.Eight players held a share...
by Monday qualifying for and later recording his maiden victory on the PGA Tour at the Wyndham Championship, the final tournament of the regular season. He became the first Indian-born player to ever win on the PGA Tour, and was the first Monday qualifier to win a PGA Tour event since Fred Wadsworth
Fred Wadsworth
Frederick Willi Wadsworth is an American professional golfer who played on the PGA Tour and South Africa's Sunshine Tour....
won the 1986 Southern Open. Because he had lost his tour card, he received no FedEx Cup
FedEx Cup
The FedEx Cup is a championship trophy for the PGA Tour. Its introduction marked the first time that men's professional golf had a playoff system. Announced in November 2005, it was first awarded in 2007 after a NASCAR-like points race. Bill Haas is the current champion...
points for his victory and had not earned enough points previously to make the playoffs. He has been a neighbour and practice partner of Tiger Woods
Tiger Woods
Eldrick Tont "Tiger" Woods is an American professional golfer whose achievements to date rank him among the most successful golfers of all time. Formerly the World No...
for five years at home in Florida.
After failing to qualify for the FedEx Cup in 2010, Atwal entered the 2011 playoff series 123rd.
PGA Tour wins (1)
| No. | Date | Tournament | Winning Score | Margin of Victory | Runner-up |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 22 Aug 2010 2010 PGA Tour The 2010 PGA Tour season ran from January 7 to November 14. The season consisted of 46 official money events. This included four major championships and three World Golf Championships, which are also sanctioned by the European Tour.-Schedule:... |
Wyndham Championship | 1 stroke |  David TomsDavid Toms David Wayne Toms is an American professional golfer who plays on the PGA Tour. He has won a total of thirteen events on the PGA Tour including the 2001 PGA Championship... |
European Tour wins (3)
| No. | Date | Tournament | Winning Score | Margin of Victory | Runner(s)-up |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 24 Feb 2002 | Caltex Singapore Masters | 5 strokes |  Richard GreenRichard Green (golfer) Richard George Green is an Australian professional golfer.Green was born in Williamstown, Melbourne, Victoria. He turned professional in 1992, and joined the PGA Tour of Australasia the same year.... |
|
| 2 | 23 Feb 2003 | Carlsberg Malaysian Open | 4 strokes |  Retief GoosenRetief Goosen Retief Goosen is a South African professional golfer who has been in the top ten in the Official World Golf Rankings for over 250 weeks between 2001 and 2007. His main achievements have been two U.S... , Brad KennedyBrad Kennedy Brad Kennedy is an Australian professional golfer.Kennedy was born Sydney, Australia. He turned professional in 1994. He has played on the PGA Tour of Australasia, Asian Tour and European Tour. He has won several minor tournaments in Queensland... |
|
| 3 | 9 Mar 2008 2008 European Tour The 2008 European Tour was the 37th golf season since the European Tour officially began in 1972. The 2008 season consisted of 50 official money events, a drop of two from the previous year. This included seven major championships and World Golf Championships, which are also sanctioned by the PGA... |
Maybank Malaysian Open | Playoff |  Peter HedblomPeter Hedblom Peter Mikael Hedblom is a Swedish professional golfer.-Amateur career:Hedblom was born in Gävle, Sweden. He won the 1986 Swedish Boys Championship when he was 16. The following year he won the Doral Junior Classic in the United States and the Scandinavian Amateur Open... |
Asian Tour wins (7)
- 1999 Wills Indian Open
- 2000 Hero Honda Masters, Star Alliance Open
- 2002 Caltex Singapore Masters (co-sanctioned with European Tour)
- 2003 Carlsberg Malaysian Open (co-sanctioned with European Tour), Hero Honda Masters
- 2008 Maybank Malaysian Open (co-sanctioned with European Tour)
Nationwide Tour wins (1)
| No. | Date | Tournament | Winning Score | Margin of Victory | Runner-up |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 19 Oct 2008 2008 Nationwide Tour The 2008 Nationwide Tour season ran from January 24 to November 9. The season consisted of 30 official money golf tournaments; five of which were played outside of the United States... |
Chattanooga Classic Chattanooga Classic This article is about the Nationwide Tour event, for information on the former PGA Tour event, see Chattanooga Classic .The Children's Hospital Classic is a golf tournament on the Nationwide Tour; it was formerly an official PGA Tour event. It is played annually at the Black Creek Club in... |
Playoff | Webb Simpson Webb Simpson James Frederick "Webb" Simpson is an American professional golfer who plays on the PGA Tour.-Amateur career:Simpson was born in Raleigh, North Carolina. He played high school golf at Broughton High before his collegiate golf career at Wake Forest University. He was a three-time All-American and... |
Results in major championships
| Tournament | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Masters Tournament | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | CUT |
| U.S. Open U.S. Open (golf) The United States Open Championship, commonly known as the U.S. Open, is the annual open golf tournament of the United States. It is the second of the four major championships in golf, and is on the official schedule of both the PGA Tour and the European Tour... |
DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | CUT | DNP |
| The Open Championship The Open Championship The Open Championship, or simply The Open , is the oldest of the four major championships in professional golf. It is the only "major" held outside the USA and is administered by The R&A, which is the governing body of golf outside the USA and Mexico... |
CUT | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP |
| PGA Championship PGA Championship The PGA Championship is an annual golf tournament conducted by the PGA of America as part of the PGA Tour. It is one of the four major championships in men's professional golf, and is the golf season's final major, usually played in mid-August, customarily four weeks after The Open Championship... |
DNP | CUT | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | CUT |
DNP = Did not play
CUT = missed the half-way cut
"T" = tied
Yellow background for top-10.
See also
- 2003 PGA Tour Qualifying School graduates2003 PGA Tour Qualifying School GraduatesThis is a list of the 34 players who earned their 2004 PGA Tour card through Q School in 2003.*Players in yellow are 2004 PGA Tour rookies.-2004 Results:T = Tied...
- 2008 Nationwide Tour graduates2008 Nationwide Tour GraduatesThis is a list of players who graduated from the Nationwide Tour in 2008. The top 25 players on the Nationwide Tour's money list in 2008 earned their PGA Tour card for 2009.*PGA Tour rookie for 2009. T = Tied...
- List of golfers with most Asian Tour wins