The Hindu : Sport / Golf : Arjun Atwal has a roller-coaster round

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Saturday, Aug 13, 2005

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Sport - Golf

Arjun Atwal has a roller-coaster round

NEW JERESY: Arjun Atwal's historic debut at the US PGA Championship was a roller-coaster ride as he scrambled to a four-over-par 74 at Baltusrol Golf Club.

The first Indian to play in the year's final Major, Atwal had the worst of starts on Thursday, going to four over par after three holes before battling back to bring his round to one-over through 12 holes with four birdies against one bogey.

However, the Baltusrol beast caught up with Atwal again as he dropped four shots over a stretch of five closing holes as he ended the day in tied 97th place.

Six players, Stuart Appleby, Trevor Immelman, Ben Curtis, Phil Mickelson, Stephen Ames and Rory Sabbatini all share the first round lead on 67.

World No. 1 Tiger Woods, bidding for a third Major this season, slumped to a 75, a score which reflected on how difficult Baltusrol was playing.

Atwal opened bogey-bogey-double bogey to be four after three holes.

But he recovered well with birdies on fourth and seventh, but then again dropped a shot on the ninth to be three-over 37 for the front nine.

Excellent birdies on the tenth and 12th saw him claw his way back but then back to back bogeys on 13th and 14th and again on 16th and seventh set him back heavily.

A closing birdie was a consolation as he ended the day at four-over 74 and in tied 97th place. He would need to play a good second round to make himself noticed.

Woods in peril

The walk to the parking lot was mercifully short. Steve Williams already had the engine running in the Buick LaCrosse when Tiger Woods, his sweat-soaked shirt clinging to his upper body, jumped into the front seat next to his caddie.

There would be no lengthy range session, no time on the practice green after this round. A fat, opening 75 left Woods mentally drained, and he and Williams couldn't drive out of the gates of Baltusrol Golf Club fast enough.

In a year to remember, this was a day to forget.

``I'm not going to work on anything,'' Woods said. ``I'm just going to go home and relax.'' — PTI & AP

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