PGA Tour playing card – a fight for survival – Part 2
Usually, the Indian players prefer to play on the European Tour after tasting some success on the Asian Tour. Moreover, they find it really difficult to qualify for the prestigious PGA Tour.
In 2004, Arjun Atwal became the first player in the history of the sport to make it to the PGA Tour by qualifying through the Q-School.
During the first two years on the Tour, he came close to victories a number of times. However, luck was not at his side.
Atwal also played some of the early tournaments during the 2010 PGA Tour season on major medical exemption.
Right after the 2010 RBC Canadian Open, his medical extension expired and he had to rely on Monday qualifiers to participate in the events.
At the 2010 Wyndham Championship, he outshined his opponents in the field and recorded the first ever PGA Tour victory of his career. It was also the first ever PGA Tour victory by an Indian player, in the history of the sport.
As a result, he received a two-year exemption on the PGA Tour, which will expire at the end of the current season.
Last year, he played a total of 29 tournaments and made 18 cuts. Moreover, his tour record showed only one top-10 finish during the season.
Early in the 2012 PGA Tour season, Atwal missed the cut in 11 of the first 13 tournaments that he played. He then made a U-turn by making the cut 10 times in the next 11 tournaments on his roster.
He now ranks 171st in the PGA Tour Official Money List. Therefore, he desperately needs to record strong finishes in each of the remaining three tournaments this season, if he wants to retain his card for 2013.
The last player to mention in this article is DJ Trahan, who was once regarded as the future star from the United States.
In 2000, he won the US Amateur Public Links and represented his continent at the Walker Cup and the Eisenhower Trophy in the following two years, respectively.
In 2003, he decided to turn professional and started playing on the Nationwide Tour, now called as Web.com Tour, in 2004.
During his rookie season on the Nationwide Tour, he won the Miccosukee Championship, which played a key role in his qualification for the PGA Tour in 2005.
The year 2006 witnessed him prove his mettle on the bigger stage, as he won the Southern Farm Bureau Classic by defeating Joe Durant in the playoffs.
For the second time in his career, he recorded a victory on the PGA Tour by defeating Justin Leonard with a three-stroke margin at the 2008 Bob Hope Chrysler Classic.
Since then, there has not been much to speak of. He is about to turn 32 this December and ranks outside of the top-300 in the Official World Golf Rankings.
According to the money list, he ranks at the 148th position, which means the American has a tough task ahead of him.
However, the golf communities do not expect much from him, as the Mount Pleasant resident has not seen the elevated side of the mediocre run in quite a while.
There are a number of other players who were never expected to struggle for the tour card.
By and large, the stage of the PGA Tour undoubtedly features a number of new faces each year. It becomes possible only when the tour says good bye to other senior players at the end of each season.
The views expressed in this article are the writer's own and in no way represent Bettor.com's official editorial policy.
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