Indian Atwal claims U.S. Tour card
NEW DELHI, India -- Arjun Atwal, the first golfer to earn a million dollars on the Asian circuit, has become the first Indian to qualify for the lucrative US PGA Tour.
The 30-year-old finished the six-round qualifying finals in Florida with a total of 12-under 420 to be tied for seventh place.
Former team-mate Daniel Chopra, who now resides in Sweden, was also among 34 qualifiers who collected cards for 2004 when there are 48 tournaments and a total purse of $240 million.
Atwal, who has accumulated career earnings of more than $1m on the Asian PGA circuit, now heads to the Volvo Masters in Bangkok in a bid to win the circuit's Order of Merit crown.
"Playing the USPGA Tour is what I have dreamt of ever since I started playing golf and I am glad I have achieved it," Atwal told Indian media.
"The next step would be to win a title on the USPGA Tour and then a major. I am proud to be the first Indian on the USPGA Tour and, hopefully, this will provide a big boost to the game back home."
Atwal, who turned professional in 1995, won the Hero Honda Masters in New Delhi last month for his sixth title on the Asian PGA circuit.
Mathias Gronberg of Sweden ended his U.S. qualifying frustration at the eighth attempt when he fired a four-under 68 on Monday to finish 20-under 412 in the 108-hole event.
"I played well from the first day and I really felt confident," said Gronberg, who already has full-time status on the European Tour through 2005.
The top 30, plus ties in the 170-player field earned full-time playing privileges on the PGA Tour in 2004.
Of the 34 players that graduated Q-school, Omar Uresti made the biggest move on Monday.
After starting the day tied for 34th, Uresti jumped 27 spots to a tie for seventh with an eight-under-64 at the Panther Lake course. He returns to the PGA Tour for the first time since finishing No. 157 on the money list in 2000.
Kevin Na, 20, will be the youngest player on the PGA Tour next season after qualifying with a nine-under 423. Trevor Dodds, 44, is the oldest player to qualify through Q-School with a 424.
