A cut above

Just when Arjun Atwal seemed like he was heading for another tryst with the PGA Tour qualifying school and when Indian golf enthusiasts thou...

Just when Arjun Atwal seemed like he was heading for another tryst with the PGA Tour qualifying school and when Indian golf enthusiasts thought that he had been intimidated by the biggest tour in the world, he showed his grit and determination. Playing against the best in the world, Arjun 32 carded his first ever top-10 finish on the PGA Tour when he ranked sixth at the Chrysler Classic of Greensboro, which concluded at the Oakland Country Club on Sunday.

8216;8216;I played really well this week, except my putting8217;8217;, Atwal told The Indian Express over the phone. 8216;8216;My ball striking was excellent and, had I putted decently, I could have won this week as I hit 16 to 17 greens each day and made only two bogies in all four rounds. I8217;m very confident of playing well next week.8217;8217;

This top ten finish has also helped Arjun move up on the Money Rankings, from 161st place to 142nd with earnings of 464,798. The top 125 professionals on the current money ranking at the end of the season will get to keep their cards for next year. He now needs a couple more such finishes in the remaining three events this season to guarantee himself full playing rights for next year.

And he sounded relieved that he8217;d finally had a top-ten finish to help him break into the top 150. 8216;8216;A lot of pressure is off me as I have now secured a conditional card which guarantees me 18 starts next year. Furthermore, my top-ten finish helped me get into next week, which will be my last event for this year, where I shall try and secure my full exempt status. However, I also have the option to play the final stage of the qualifying school8217;8217;, he added.

Indian professional golfers have always believed in Atwal8217;s skills and his ability to fight and this performance proved them right. 8216;8216;It was just a question of time before he showed his mettle8217;8217;, says Amandeep Johl, a friend and fellow professional.

Uttam Singh Mundy added: 8216;8216;Atwal always came up with his best when the chips were down. In 1999, he came to the Indian Open in Kolkata from Australia, where he8217;d missed four cuts in a row. He responded by winning the Open. So he8217;s one player who cannot be taken lightly.8217;8217;

Atwal, whose previous best finish was tied 13th at the Buick Classic, will now play the Funai Classic at the Walt Disney Resort, for which he was an alternate at the beginning of the week. He will tee it up for a total purse of 4.2 million, alongside world number one and defending champion Vijay Singh.