Putting past behind,Atwal scripts history

While most of his big name competitors arrived at the Sedgefield Country Club with crossed fingers in a hope to earn the requisite points for a chance to tee-off at the year end four-event PGA Play-offs,Atwal flew in to regain his spot on the Tour,one which expired earlier this month.

With only the hope of making a backdoor entry into the tournament through the Monday qualifiers,Atwal managed to grab one of the four available spots in the main draw. But the odds were still heavily stacked against him as no Monday qualifier had won a PGA Tour title in 24 years.

Despite carrying a three-stroke lead into the final round,Atwal bogeyed the par-three 12th to make it an airtight,five horse race,the others being Lucas Glover,David Toms,John Rollins and Justin Leonard. He reclaimed the lead just in time with a birdie on the 14th,before gritting his teeth for his final push: a six feet birdie putt on the 16th to move to 20-under.

After holding his nerve to sink in a seven-foot par on the 18th hole on Sunday,Fred Wadsworth (the last Monday qualifier to win a PGA Tour title in 1986) was probably the last person on his mind. A text message pleading him to achieve a 21-under from his practice partner Tiger Woods probably was.

Although he missed Woods’s target by a shot,the Florida based pro’s 3-under 67 in the final round was enough for him to win by a stroke and his 20-under 260 in the tournament was enough to earn him $918,000,twice as much as he had earned all year long.

More than the money (the lack of it on the PGA money-list forced him to go through the qualifiers in the first place),winning his place on the Tour for the remainder of the year and the next two years was Atwal’s real earnings. And a spot in next year’s Augusta Masters,of course.

The win wrapped up a happy ending to Atwal’s topsy-turvy fortunes,but things always weren’t so rosy for the Kolkata-born golfer. Three years ago,a driver trying to race him down an Orlando street died in the ensuing crash. Atwal was cleared of any wrongdoing,although the investigation did weigh down heavily on his mind.

Despite the emotional toll,Atwal earned his PGA Tour card with a win in at the Chattanooga Classics — a Nationwide tournament — in 2008 and was all geared up for his first PGA Tour season in 2009. But things crumbled between his fingers quite quickly after he tore a shoulder muscle in the gym,forcing him to sit out the season. Although he was given a minor medical exemption for the 2010 season,it expired after the Canadian Open last month,and without enough currency in the money-list,Atwal’s hopes of re-winning his Tour card — let alone a title — were dim.

Following the Wyndham victory,Atwal’s life on the PGA Tour has come a full circle. The turnaround,unlike the slump,has been quick and painless. The smiles are back for all to see. Just take one look at the photograph.