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The Birdie's Golden Egg

Arjun Atwal lost the title but still cashed the biggest cheque in Indian sporting history

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The Birdie's Golden Egg
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It pays to save for a rainy day, say greybeards. When he finally puts away his golf bag, Arjun Atwal will remember how he profited from some rainy days in 2005.

Late last month, the 32-year-old Calcuttan was to have been in Bali on a holiday with his wife Sona when the weather intervened. First, his parents advised him to return home to the United States because of a storm warning. Then, foul weather saw many players pull out of the BellSouth Classic golf tournament in Duluth, Georgia. He had had little hope of making it to Duluth since he was only the 23rd alternate, but he was in for some luck as heavy rain forced the tournament to be cut to 54 holes.

Even on Thursday, March 31, he wasn't sure whether he'd play the tournament. He was informed he was second alternate and when a couple of players withdrew on Friday, he was on the field. The first round of the weather-shortened tournament did not begin until Saturday. He opened with a five-over 77 but with rounds of 67 and 64—the best card in the event—he made it to a five-way playoff featuring eventual winner Phil Mickelson, Rich Beem, Brandt Jobe and Jose Maria Olazabal.

He dropped out of the contest after the first hole in the playoff when he sent his second shot into the water but the prize money cheque of $330,000 (Rs 1.44 crore) was the single biggest ever won by a professional Indian sportsperson. His tied second-place finish is his career-best showing, topping a sixth at the October 2004 Chrysler Classic of Greensboro.

Atwal's prize money was nearly twice the amount he had collected at the Chrysler Classic. Jyoti Randhawa's second-place finish at the Johnnie Walker Classic in early 2004 won him a prize money equivalent to $157,277. Back in 1999 when tennis stars Leander Paes and Mahesh Bhupathi won the men's doubles crown at Wimbledon, they claimed £186,420 ($148,343 each). For the record, the total prize money on offer at the WTA Hyderabad Open that Sania Mirza won was $140,000.

"It feels great (to cash the biggest cheque in Indian sporting history) but it is a little disappointing that I lost the playoff," says Atwal, making no attempts to hide his feelings—he might have won the $900,000 winner's prize had he not dropped a stroke on the 14th hole or not hit his second shot of the playoff into the water.

Yet, when he looks at the larger picture, Atwal is reasonably proud of his achievement. "I am happy with the progress I have made with my game in the last three years. Hopefully, golf will get as much recognition as any other sport in our country. What makes the PGA Tour different from even the European PGA Tour is that a second or a third place finish here is equivalent to a title win there. Not too many people recognise this. When I last came to India, people asked me why I had dropped out of sight; I had to make them understand that this is how competitive the PGA Tour is."

His resilience and remarkable self-confidence have always characterised Atwal's approach to golf, no matter where he plays the sport that he so passionately loves. "I have learnt to play in all conditions over the past three years as they are the same for the field." Besides, he came up with a strong finish at the end of last season by making the cut in eight of his last 10 events but that was not enough to save him his PGA Tour card and he had to settle for a conditional card that would allow him just 18 starts rather than 30 in 2005. In fact, this year, he has had to contend with last-minute call-ups to play tournaments.

"It's tough in the situation that I am in but you've got to be ready to go any time they call you," says Atwal, hoping he would get to perform well in the remaining 15 starts so that he regains a PGA Tour card. He has won tournaments on the European PGA and has his sights firmly set on winning an event in the US so that he can continue to make a mark on the world's premier golf tour.

For the moment, as he waits for his next call up, Atwal is back on the course, keeping his game in good shape. He has a fine paycheque to show for his last effort. Hopefully, that will bring along invitations to some more tournaments. So what if along the way, he has had to give up a holiday in Bali? After all, as the cliché goes, every cloud has a silver lining.

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