Arjun Atwal

[JetFan1983]

Today he became both the first Indian-born player to ever win on the PGA and the first Monday qualifier to win in 24 seasons. Congratulations to Arjun and his family. He receives a two-year exemption on Tour, a trip to Hawaii to kick off the 2011 season, and a trip to the Masters.

[newtogolf]

Handled the pressure of his last shot well. Always nice to see a guy beat the odds.

[gogolfing]

Good to see him win; glad his strategy on 18 paid off because the conversation he was having with his caddy before he hit his second shot seemed odd. Intentionally hitting it through the green and going for the drop and then having to get it up and down for the win was risky. Didn't see his lie but the strategy seemed odd at the time; looks brilliant now though

[rafal]

Nice win for a Monday qualifier. Good to see him make some history. Seems like an articulate guy too.

[sean_miller]

Go Speed Racer Go!

[Harmonious]

I thought about the Sand Trap when the announcer said that Atwal was self-taught and within two years of taking up the game he was down to scratch. I guess he will now be the poster child for every 15 handicap who asks whether it's possible for them to make the pro tour within a year: ""Arjun Atwal did it, why can't I?".

[JetFan1983]

Go Speed Racer Go!

Wow, I was just reading about this one via wikipedia. Crazy little sub-plot in this guy's world.

[nevets88]

Didn't Atwal start out as a cricket player? So you'd think he was athletic to begin with.

His response to the win on the green was interesting. It was like, wow, I did it, lemmie think about this.

[senorchipotle]

i really like atwal. he seems like a genuinely good guy, great for the tour. i hope he can keep winning and stay healthy.

[zeg]

""Arjun Atwal did it, why can't I?".

Because he already did, what are the odds of two guys doing it?

[sean_miller]

Because he already did, what are the odds of two guys doing it?

Pretty much the same as one - approximately zero.

[colin007]

good for him. its good to see people of color being successful in this game.

[uttexas]

I thought about the Sand Trap when the announcer said that Atwal was self-taught and within two years of taking up the game he was down to scratch. I guess he will now be the poster child for every 15 handicap who asks whether it's possible for them to make the pro tour within a year: ""Arjun Atwal did it, why can't I?".

Great to see him win today. Atwal, a gifted athlete, started playing golf at the age of 14 at http://www.rcgc.in/ the most prestigious course in India, so he probably had more opportunity than most to improve his golf game. His background is similar to Greg Norman's, another good all round athlete, who, at 15 years old, started playing golf at http://www.virginia-golf.com.au/ and was scratch within a year.

[BallStriker]

Great win for Arjun...he has preservered through some tough times -- btw, he was also the first Monday qualifier to win on tour in 24 years.

As for "giving hope to others" -- the bottom line is that Arjun has the physical tools to exceed at the highest level -- unlike 99.999999999% of golfers that don't

Good for him....hope he talks shit to Tiger next time they play a practice round at home.

[GoingfortheGreen]

As one of Indian descent, it was good to see Arjun win. To be honest, I really thought Jeev Milkha Singh would be the first from India to win on the PGA.

Today Arjun was Vijay (victory or victorious in Hindi) - keep off the drag racing in Islesworth...

[InTheFairway]

Way to go Arjun. He really hung in there and handled his nerves. Not easy considering the year he's had.

[The Road Dog]

What is his PGA status, is he a member or what? I heard there is an issue there.

[bkoguy07]

Great win for Arjun...he has preservered through some tough times -- btw, he was also the first Monday qualifier to win on tour in 24 years.

I'd say more people have the physical tools than that.. But most with athleticism such as that don't have the patience for the game. The game really tests your character.