Almost 36 hours later and approximately 15,000 kilometers away from the site of his greatest achievement, Arjun Atwal still cannot believe Monday happened.
"The enormity of the achievement still hasn't sunk in," said the 30-year-old Kolkata pro, who became the first Indian to qualify for the elite US PGA Tour on Monday. "It has been a mad dash to reach Bangkok for the Volvo Masters of Asia and I have not had any time to savour something that I have always dreamt of," added Atwal on phone from Bangkok, where he gets ready to add another feather in his cap.
Short of a victory by his closest pursuer, Zhang Lian-wei of China, Atwal is almost assured of wearing the Asian PGA Tour Order of Merit crown after the season-ending tournament.
"It was perhaps the most nerve-wracking nine holes I played on the final day. I was so nervous that I almost had to make a conscious effort to stop shaking," said the only Asian to win two European PGA Tour titles.
"After I made the three birdies on the front nine, I just wanted to make pars on the remaining holes. It was even more difficult as there were no leaderboards to tell us where we were placed," he added.
"There was no time to enjoy the moment. I had to rush to the airport immediately as I sank my last putt to catch a flight to Dallas. Anyway, the six rounds were so mentally, physically and emotionally draining that the only thing I could feel was tiredness," said Atwal, who hopes to start the season at the exotic Hawaii Islands with the US$-4.5 million Sony Open, starting January 14, 2004.
"Playing the PGA Tour is something that I always dreamt about. This is the ultimate for any professional golfer. The fact that I would be able to rub shoulders with players like Tiger Woods, Ernie Els, Vijay Singh and others week in and week out is an exciting thought. It would also be the finest test of my skills and abilities as a golfer," added Atwal who would also have the opportunity of teeing up at the 2004 British Open if he wins the Order of Merit race in the Asian PGA Tour.
It has been a fantastic year for Atwal, who won the Malaysian Open (joint-sanctioned event on the European Tour) and Hero Honda Masters (on the Asian PGA Tour). He also played the high-profile WGC-American Express Championship.
"I must admit that this has been a perfect year for me. Everything has fallen into place and qualifying for the PGA Tour caps it all. I am now looking forward to finishing the year as the No 1 player in Asia," said Atwal, who has been paired with Simon Yates in the opening round of the US$-500,000 Volvo Masters of Asia.
Atwal was all praise for close friend Daniel Chopra, who also made it to the PGA Tour after finishing sixth in the Q-School.
"Daniel has had an incredible last couple of years and has come back from nowhere. To lose a chance to qualify for the PGA Tour through Nationwide Tour in such a heart-breaking manner, and then redeeming himself the way he did in the Q-School is awesome. It is also great because I will now have a great friend with me on the Tour," added Atwal.
Atwal now has the safety net of European Tour, but he is focusing on the PGA Tour. "I might play a few big events in Europe and on courses that I like. But I will concentrate mostly on the PGA Tour and only on occasions when I do not get an entry into the PGA Tour events, would I head out to the other side of Atlantic. I would also like to schedule a few Asian PGA Tour events and a couple in India, but it looks difficult in the first year as I want to establish myself in the US," said Atwal, who has already set up his base in Celebration, Florida.
"I want to look forward to 2004, but I have some unfinished business at hand, which I would like to finish first," said Atwal, referring to the Volvo Masters of Asia this week.
