Arjun Atwal makes a solid start at the FedEx St. Jude Classic
The Indian Arjun Atwal carded a three-under par in the opening round of the FedEx St. Jude Classic, at the TPC Southwind in Memphis, to share the third spot on Thursday, June 7, 2012.
Atwal, who had been struggling for the last few months, made a solid start by making back-to-back birdies on the first two holes that he played, followed by another on the fifth.
The par-four seventh hole witnessed him suffer a bogey, followed by seven pars. On the final four holes, he managed to score two more birdies against a bogey to settle one stroke behind the leaders, Jeff Maggert and John Merrick.
While talking to the PGA Tour website, he told that he started to regain his form in the last few weeks, which helped him make a good start in Memphis too.
“I've actually started to hit it a little better the last few weeks I've been out,” he said. “You know, just building on that. It's a good score to have on this golf course”.
He said that the conditions on the course were a little difficult, especially with the winds blowing in irregular intervals.
Therefore, it was difficult to calculate the shots, as the ball could move in the air any time. Yet, he managed to post a good score on the leaderboard with the display of some consistent performance.
“It could lay down or gust at about 15. The ball could be in the air and gusts. You have no control over that,” he said. “You know, it's just really tough out there. This golf course is always a good challenge. It was a tough day”.
Atwal was among the few players who were not present during the practice rounds prior to the start of the event.
He told that he was in Germantown Country Club to play the 36-hole US Open qualifier and was not able to move to TPC Southwind as a result.
Yet, he does have prior experience on the course that helped him slightly, while making calculations on each shot.
“I played here before, but I haven't played in a few years,” he said.
He is now confident to register a better score on the second day that will help him boost his morale while moving towards the weekend.
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