Rajlakshmi Retesh traces the journey of Atwal from his successes to his struggle.
Aug 26, 2013. He has many firsts to his name. Arjun Atwal, 40 has been the torchbearer of Indian golf in the West. He is an inspiration for many upcoming golfers in India today.
Hailing from Asansol in West Bengal, Arjun Atwal started his journey into golf at the age of 14 in 1987. Son of an Industrialist, he had an opportunity to learn the art of golfing at Royal Kolkata Golf Club and Tollygunge Golf Club.
However, his golfing talent placed him at the forefront of the game. He can boast of competing on several professional golf tours including the Asian Tour, European Tour and first Indian on PGA Tour after he turned pro in 1995.
He married his long-time sweetheart Sona Bhalla in 2002.
Including his prestigious PGA win at Wyndham Cup in 2010, Atwal has compiled nine worldwide victories, with three of those wins coming on the European Tour.
Atwal joined the Asian Tour in 1995, registering his first career victory at the DCM Open. Atwal won on two more occasions in the 1990s, at the 1997 Classic Southern India Open and at the 1999 Wills Indian Open. Atwal went on to win multiple tournaments during the 2000 season, prevailing at the Hero Honda Masters and Star Alliance Open.
Atwal had his share of luck at European Tour as well. Atwal proved victorious for the first time on the European Tour at Caltex Singapore Open in 2002. The following year, 2003 was a breakout year for Atwal, as he won the Carlsberg Malaysian Open and the Hero Honda Masters for the second time in his career. Atwal’s 2003 performance earned him over $1 million in winnings and first place on the Asian Tour Order of Merit. His third and most recent win on the European Tour came at the 2008 Maybank Malaysian Open.
Atwal secured his PGA Tour card in 2004 through qualifying school and finished 142nd on the money list during his rookie season. His best finish during PGA Tour competition came in 2005 at the BellSouth Classic. Atwal tied for the lead through the final round of play but was eliminated on the first hole of a sudden-death playoff. His first a win in the United States came on the Nationwide Tour at the 2008 Chattanooga Classic.
Like any golfer, he too had his low seasons in life. Atwal’s love for fast cars got him into trouble when his car crashed while speed racing in Florida. Though he could survive the fatal accident, he ended up losing a friend John Noah Park.
Indian golfer frequently shuffles between Kolkata and Windermere, Florida, where he resides with his wife and two children.
Atwal was conferred the prestigious Arjun Award in 2007. Atwal’s quest for more is not over yet.
