Arjun Atwal facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Arjun Atwal |
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Atwal in action in 2012
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| Personal information | |
| Full name | Arjun Singh Atwal |
| Born | 20 March 1973 Asansol, India |
| Height | 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) |
| Weight | 185 lb (84 kg; 13.2 st) |
| Nationality |  India |
| Residence | Kolkata, India Windermere, Florida, U.S. |
| Spouse |
Sona Atwal (m. 2000)
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| Children | 2 |
| Career | |
| Turned professional | 1995 |
| Current tour(s) | PGA Tour Champions Asian Tour |
| Former tour(s) | PGA Tour European Tour Web.com Tour Asian Tour |
| Professional wins | 13 |
| Number of wins by tour | |
| PGA Tour | 1 |
| European Tour | 3 |
| Asian Tour | 8 (Tied 6th all time) |
| Web.com Tour | 1 |
| Other | 3 |
| Best results in Major Championships |
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| The Masters Tournament | CUT: 2011 |
| U.S. Open | CUT: 2010 |
| The Open Championship | CUT: 2004 |
| PGA Championship | CUT: 2005, 2011 |
| Achievements and awards | |
| Asian PGA Tour Rookie of the Year |
1995 |
| Asian PGA Tour Order of Merit winner |
2003 |
| Asian PGA Tour Players' Player of the Year |
2003 |
Arjun Singh Atwal (born 20 March 1973) is a famous Indian professional golfer. He has played on the Asian Tour and the European Tour. Arjun Atwal made history as the first player from India to join and win on the U.S.-based PGA Tour.
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Arjun Atwal's Early Life
Arjun Atwal grew up in a Sikh family. His father, Harminder Singh Atwal, was an industrialist. Arjun went to St. James' School in Kolkata, India. When he was 14, he started playing golf. He practiced at the Royal Calcutta Golf Club and Tollygunge Club. He also spent two years studying in the United States. He attended W. T. Clarke High School in Westbury, New York.
Arjun Atwal's Golf Career
Becoming a Professional Golfer
Arjun Atwal became a professional golfer in 1995. He quickly became one of the best players on the Asian Tour. In 2003, he was the top player on the Order of Merit. This means he earned the most money that year.
He was also the second Indian golfer to join the European Tour. The first was Jeev Milkha Singh. Arjun Atwal was the first Indian to win on the European Tour. He won the 2002 Caltex Singapore Masters by five strokes. He won again in 2003 at the Carlsberg Malaysian Open.
Later in 2003, Atwal finished seventh at the PGA Tour's qualifying school in the U.S. This earned him a spot on the PGA Tour for 2004. He was the first Indian golfer to achieve this.
Playing on the PGA Tour
In his first year on the PGA Tour in 2004, he finished 142nd on the money list. In 2005, Atwal almost won several times on the PGA Tour. A notable moment was at the BellSouth Classic in April. He played a great final round, scoring 64. The tournament was shortened due to rain.
He ended up in a five-player sudden-death playoff. This included famous golfers like Phil Mickelson. On the first playoff hole, Atwal's shot went into the water. He made a bogey and was eliminated. Phil Mickelson eventually won the tournament. Atwal finished 82nd on the money list in 2005. This secured his place on the Tour for 2006.
Making History with a Win
After the 2010 RBC Canadian Open, Atwal lost his PGA Tour card. This happened because his medical exemption for a shoulder injury ran out. He had not earned enough money to keep his spot.
However, he later got his playing rights back for the PGA Tour through 2012. He also received an invitation to the 2011 Masters Tournament. This was because he won his first PGA Tour event. He won the Wyndham Championship, which was the last tournament of the regular season.
Arjun Atwal became the first Indian-born player to ever win on the PGA Tour. He was also the first player to win a PGA Tour event after qualifying on Monday. This had not happened since 1986. Because he had lost his tour card, he did not get FedEx Cup points for his victory. He had not earned enough points before to make the playoffs. For five years, he was a neighbor and practice partner of Tiger Woods in Florida.
After his big win, Atwal had two top-10 finishes in the next two years. He lost his Tour card again after the 2012 season. In 2014, Atwal won his first tournament in four years. This was the Dubai Open on the Asian Tour. This win gave him a two-year exemption on the Asian Tour.
Personal Life
In 2007, Arjun Atwal was involved in a car incident in Florida. He was not hurt in the incident. After an investigation, no charges were filed.
Professional Wins
Arjun Atwal has won 13 professional tournaments.
PGA Tour Wins (1)
| No. | Date | Tournament | Winning score | Margin of victory |
Runner-up |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 22 Aug 2010 | Wyndham Championship | −20 (61-67-65-67=260) | 1 stroke |  David Toms |
European Tour Wins (3)
| No. | Date | Tournament | Winning score | Margin of victory |
Runner(s)-up |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 24 Feb 2002 | Caltex Singapore Masters1 | −14 (70-69-67-68=274) | 5 strokes |  Richard Green |
| 2 | 23 Feb 2003 | Carlsberg Malaysian Open1 | −24 (62-65-67-66=260) | 4 strokes |  Retief Goosen, Brad Kennedy |
| 3 | 9 Mar 2008 | Maybank Malaysian Open1 (2) | −18 (70-68-68-64=270) | Playoff |  Peter Hedblom |
1Co-sanctioned by the Asian Tour
Asian Tour Wins (8)
| No. | Date | Tournament | Winning score | Margin of victory |
Runner(s)-up |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 14 Mar 1999 | Wills Indian Open | −12 (72-68-66-70=276) | 4 strokes |  Shiv Chawrasia,  Kang Wook-soon, Prayad Marksaeng |
| 2 | 5 Nov 2000 | Hero Honda Masters | −18 (68-68-68-66=270) | 2 strokes |  Simon Dyson |
| 3 | 12 Nov 2000 | Star Alliance Open | −12 (65-63-68-72=268) | 2 strokes |  Yeh Wei-tze |
| 4 | 24 Feb 2002 | Caltex Singapore Masters1 | −14 (70-69-67-68=274) | 5 strokes | Richard Green |
| 5 | 23 Feb 2003 | Carlsberg Malaysian Open1 | −24 (62-65-67-66=260) | 4 strokes | Retief Goosen, Brad Kennedy |
| 6 | 11 Nov 2003 | Hero Honda Masters (2) | −7 (69-71-70-71=281) | 1 stroke |  Pablo del Olmo, Jyoti Randhawa, Gary Rusnak |
| 7 | 9 Mar 2008 | Maybank Malaysian Open1 (2) | −18 (70-68-68-64=270) | Playoff | Peter Hedblom |
| 8 | 21 Dec 2014 | Dubai Open | −16 (73-65-68-66=272) | 1 stroke | Wang Jeung-hun |
1Co-sanctioned by the European Tour
Nationwide Tour Wins (1)
| No. | Date | Tournament | Winning score | Margin of victory |
Runner-up |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 19 Oct 2008 | Chattanooga Classic | −24 (66-60-66-72=264) | Playoff | Webb Simpson |
Other Wins (3)
- 1995 DCM Open
- 1997 Classic Southern India Open
- 2000 Wills Eastern Open
Major Golf Championships
Arjun Atwal has played in several major golf championships. These include the Masters Tournament, U.S. Open, The Open Championship, and PGA Championship. Sometimes, he missed the cut, meaning he didn't play in the final rounds.
Team Appearances
Arjun Atwal has also represented Asia and India in team golf events:
- Dynasty Cup (representing Asia): 2003 (winners)
- World Cup (representing India): 2005
- Royal Trophy (representing Asia): 2006
- EurAsia Cup (representing Asia): 2018 (as a non-playing captain)
