Kuala Lumpur: India’s Arjun Atwal hopes to relaunch his career with a strong showing at this week’s US$2.75 million Maybank Malaysian Open, an event he has won twice previously.
The former Asian Tour number one will be making his first appearance of the season at the Kuala Lumpur Golf and Country Club’s West course in a top-class field which includes Lee Westwood, Louis Oosthuizen, Thongchai Jaidee and Kiradech Aphibanrat.
“It’s good to be back, always fun to be here,” said Atwal, winner of the Malaysian Open in 2003 and 2008.
“But I don’t know how the game will be as I haven’t played competitively since last year’s Indian Open. It’s a little rusty but at least the body doesn’t feel bad unlike last year where I was struggling.”
Atwal, the first Indian to win a PGA Tour title, has slipped down the golfing echelons following a string of injuries. His last tournament was at the Asian Tour’s Hero Indian Open in November where he finished tied 61st.
But with his health in better shape now following months of rehab, Atwal, who turned 41 last month, hopes to find the second wind in his career which has yielded seven Asian Tour victories and the 2010 Wyndham Championship in the United States.
“I have a bunch of friends who are in their 40s or are over 40s on Tour. They give me a lot of inspiration, players like Steve Stricker, Vijay Singh, Jim Furyk – these guys are still going strong and are great examples. Age is nothing. If you’re healthy, it’s not a big deal,” said Atwal.
The biggest challenge for Atwal this season is to ensure that he gets into tournaments, whether in the US or in Asia due to his exemption status.
“I need to Monday quality in a few in the US and hope to get a few sponsors’ exemptions into tournaments. Hopefully I will get into eight to 10 tournaments this year. We’ll see how that goes.
“I want to spend a little more time in Asia but it’s really hard with my kids, it’s tough travelling all the way here from the US. I don’t have a concrete plan yet,” he said.
The good news for Atwal is that he’s almost pain-free playing golf these days.
“The past few months, I’ve been on rehab, trying to get stronger with my back and left knee. It’s getting better. I can practice a little bit more, which I couldn’t do at all last year. The game feels alright,” he said.
He has hooked up with his old Malaysian caddie this week in hope of producing some of his old magic at the Maybank Malaysian Open.
“I’m using the same Malaysian caddie, Rosli on the bag. He’s still the same ... he doesn’t care about anything and just goes out to carry the bag which is a good thing.”
