Happy homecoming for Atwal

Arjun Atwal is back home for a happy reunion with the family, and for a well-earned rest. After having secured a conditional card that guara...

Arjun Atwal is back home for a happy reunion with the family, and for a well-earned rest. After having secured a conditional card that guarantees him 18 starts next year, he is enjoying this break from the arduous PGA Tour. But Atwal will soon be back at the driving range to gear up for the final stage of the PGA Tour’s Qualifying School to get a ‘‘fully exempt’’ status on the tour.

The past one year has been very hectic. He had been at a new course each week and in a different city amidst the grind and pressure of his rookie year on the Tour. The depth of the field on the Tour is such that it makes the toughest in the world. ‘‘Any one of the 150 players participating that week is capable of winning,’’ says Arjun. But this level of competitiveness is what fuels Atwal to work harder to be able to compete with the best, week after week.

Arjun, however, is not complaining. ‘‘I played 10 weeks in a row, took a week’s off and again played in 11 more tournaments without break. But the Tour really takes care of the players, making sure that those who qualify to play in it does not lose money,’’ he says. Each player is allotted a car for the week and he is treated like a real star. Moreover, the players get to play in perfect weather conditions and at some of the best courses in the world.

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Atawal started the season well, though his best trot came towards the later half of the year when he finished sixth — he carded a final round 66 for a total of 13-under par — at the Chrysler Classic of Greensboro at the Oakland Country Club. By playing in 30 tournaments this season, he also gaiend the vital insight to manage himself without getting burnt out.

Playing alongside Daniel Chopra — he honed his skills in India and also qualified to play the PGA Tour along with Atwal last year — has lent Atwal a good company and fun. ‘‘We play a practice round together every week on Tuesdays. And at the Funai Classic at the Walt Disney Resort, we also got paired together for the first two rounds,’’ says Atwal, who finished the week for a tied 33rd place.