Fatherly request spurs Atwal to Chattanooga victory

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The suggestion came not once, but twice. And it came from the man Arjun Atwal considers the most mentally strong person he knows.

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Arjun Atwal was surprised about a request he got from his father recently.

Inside the Numbers

Arjun Atwal last week in Chattanooga

Category Total Rank Eagles 1 T15 Birdies 28 2 Pars 38 T52 Bogeys 4 T65 Double Bogeys 1 T21 Other 0 N/A Driving Accuracy 73.2% T40 Driving Distance 312.6 yds. 38 Greens in Regulation 94.4% 1 Putts per Round 30.5 T15 Putts per GIR 1.706 6 Sand Saves 50.0% T23

So when Bindi Atwal spoke last Sunday and again last Monday Arjun Atwal listened. The first occasion was on a flight from Midland, Texas, to Atwal's home in Orlando, after Atwal had finished a rather pedestrian 45th in the Nationwide Tour's WNB Golf Classic.

Apparently Bindi Atwal had seen enough in his son's performance in West Texas to convince pere that fils was on the verge of something spectacular. Then again, maybe father was simply playing a hunch, hoping to plant a just-win-baby seed in his son's mind.

"I know your game is good enough,'' Bindi said as the Atwals traversed the friendly skies. "You've got to win next week.''

On Monday, Bindi's words were more forceful as Arjun dropped off his father at the Orlando airport before his return trip to his home in Calcutta, India.

"Promise me one thing,'' he said to his son. "You're going to do it (win) this week -- for me.''

Atwal was caught off guard. He searched his memory bank, coming to a quick conclusion his father had never asked him for anything even remotely close to that in his 35 years.

"That stuck in my head,'' Arjun Atwal said.

So here's where the story gets a little sappy for some and quite mystical for others who know golf is game that is 90 percent mental.

Atwal journeyed to the Chattanooga Classic presented by Black Creek and made good on Bindi's request. He went from 45th in Texas to first in Tennessee, scoring his first Nationwide Tour victory with a birdie on the first hole of a playoff against Webb Simpson. The victory was set up by Atwal's 12-under-par 60 in the second round, the lowest number of the season.

"So I was wondering,'' Atwal said about an hour after the trophy ceremony as Bindi's words still rang in his ears. "Can I dedicate this to my father?''

Given the circumstances, who in the world would object?

Now, for the rest of the story.

The timely win was Atwal's first in America, where he has played three and one-half seasons on the PGA TOUR and a season and a half on the Nationwide Tour. His first-place check of $90,000 allowed him to jump from 34th to 15th on the money list where his official earnings of $248,986 are more than enough to guarantee a return to the PGA TOUR in 2009.

"I've been working for this all my career,'' said Atwal, a Calcutta native who now has won nine times worldwide, including the Maybank Malaysian Open on the European Tour earlier this year. "I've had a few things going on away from the course. To finally win in America feels really good and getting my card back on the PGA TOUR is a sweet bonus.''

In that way, 2008 has been a year of deep mental cleansing for Atwal. His trouble began with disc problems in his lower back in the 2006 season on the PGA TOUR. He attempted to play through the pain, chasing money in an effort to maintain his playing privileges. But the pain made it an impossible dream. So, after a highly promising 2005 season where he had four top-10s and won almost $1 million in 17 starts, Atwal, the first native of India to gain membership to the PGA TOUR, lost his card.

Things got worse in 2007. On March 10, Atwal was on his way home from a practice session at Isleworth when he began traveling at a high rate of speed in what witnesses said appeared to be a drag race with John N. Park. Witnesses claimed the pair was driving nearly 100 mph in a 45-mph zone when Park failed to negotiate a turn, sending his car airborne into a tree. Park was killed by the impact. Florida Highway Patrol investigators recommended Atwal, who steadfastly maintained his innocence, be charged with vehicular homicide.

It took almost a year before Atwal was exonerated. At the same time Bindi was diagnosed with prostrate cancer. Atwal wasn't told about the illness until Bindi faced what Atwal called "major surgery.'' He is now cancer free. Shortly thereafter Atwal won in Malaysia.

"That was huge for me,'' he said. "I felt like I could breathe again.''

Come January, Atwal will be doing his breathing on the PGA TOUR again, a place where he truly believes he belongs. That's why he concentrated his main body of work on the Nationwide Tour in '08 despite the fact that he is a full-fledged member of the Asian and European PGA TOURs. He feels like the hard work he put in on his game at Isleworth, often while hitting balls on the range next to Tiger Woods, is going to pay off handsomely.

"Getting back to the PGA TOUR was my main goal although I have all those cards,'' he said. "I'm 35. I have experience. I won't be in awe of anything.''