By IANS
New Delhi : It has been a good homecoming for Arjun Atwal as he carded a second successive 70 to total four-under 140 and finish the halfway stage at tied sixth place on the second day of the EMAAR-MGF Indian Masters here Friday.
Atwal and Jyoti Randhawa’s brother-in-law Digvijay Singh (70-70) were India’s best at four-under 140 as overnight leader Randhawa fell from top to tied 14th after a disastrous five-over 77.
The 34-year-old Atwal is looking for some much-needed boost before he returns to the Nationwide Tour, the second rung tour in the US. When reminded that he had a great track record at the DGC, Atwal shot back: “But not as good as Jyoti’s (Randhawa). Besides my win in 2003, I never really putted well here.”
With a total of four under par 140 after two days of play at the gruelling Lodhi Course of the Delhi Golf Club he was sitting pretty comfortably up in the ladder on a day when another ace Indian golfer Jeev Milkha missed the cut with a disappointing total score of 10 over par 154.
“After two rounds I am in contention and I feel happy. I have been on target and have hit the fairways regularly and it really feels good,” said Atwal, who was the first Indian to win on the European Tour and also the first to play on the US Tour.
Dogged with injuries, Atwal hit a rough patch in 2007 but said that he had worked hard over his game as he was gearing up for a good Nationwide Tour to get his card for the PGA Tour.
“I had an injury to get rid of and the mental trauma was also getting to me. I decided to get fit and I was doing that for the last two months. I have really worked hard on my game and didn’t expect to get a quick start like Panama (Nationwide Tour) and now up here again.” he said.
But Atwal added that the birth of his second son Shiva last year have also helped him to calm down. “It was the highlight of 2007. It helped me get rid of my mental worries. Every time I speak to my wife back in Florida, we talk about the kids and not about the game.”
Beginning this week, Atwal will be playing five weeks in a row in Asia – including three events in India – before returning to the Nationwide Tour. Atwal plays the EMAAR-MGF Indian Masters followed by the event in Indonesia, the SAIL Open in India, the Johnnie Walker Classic again in India and then the Malaysian Open.
Atwal found four birdies on the front nine, on the second, fourth, fifth and the eighth hole and found a couple of them on the back nine at the 11th and the 14th hole. But he also missed three easy birdies.
“Starting with the ninth hole, I missed a two feet birdie putt and then at the 13th hole I missed it by three feet and also at the 18th. I have to iron it out as I head for the weekend rounds,” he said.
He also gave the credit for his performance to his caddie Ali Jaan, brother of Ali Sher, whom he consulted a lot during the day, when the chilly weather tested every other golfer.
“On every hole, he reads the line for me and he knows my speed as he has been caddying for me since I was very young. He was also caddying for me when I won in 2003,” said Atwal.
When asked to predict the winning score, Atwal shot back: “Hopefully it’s mine”.