August 23 — After Arjun Atwal made a seven-foot putt on the 72nd hole of the Wyndham Championship to become the first Indian native to win a PGA Tour title, Tiger Woods became officially eligible for the FedEx Cup playoffs that start next week at The Barclays.
Many firsts. In carding a final-round 67 and a 20-under 260 total, Atwal won his first PGA Tour event and was the first Monday qualifier to earn a victory in 24 years. He defeated David Toms by one stroke.
Until this week, Atwal had gained some renown as Woods’ practice partner. Woods, who said he would play in New Jersey next week, had to wait until the end of the Wyndham tourney to know for sure that he would qualify for the playoffs. Prior to the Greensboro, N.C., contest, Woods was 108th on the FedEx Cup points list and was likely to end the week lower.
He’s in. Still, it was unlikely that the still top-ranked golfer would drop to below the top 125 and be ineligible for the playoff run. After The Barclays, the top 100 golfers will tee it up at the Deutsche Bank Championship at TPC Boston over Labor Day weekend.
Please come to Boston. Woods did slide to 112th but was safely into the playoffs. With the future of the Deutsche Bank Championship in some doubt due to the economy, tourney organizers now have to hope that Woods makes The Barclays cut and moves up those 12 slots to punch his ticket to Boston. He would reportedly have to finish around 50th at The Barclays to earn a trip to the Deutsche Bank.
Atwal, who lost his PGA Tour card last month after his minor medical exemption expired, was not eligible for the playoffs. He did, however, earn a two-year exemption onto the tour, a spot at the season-opening tourney in Hawaii, and entry into next year’s Masters Tournament.
Bad shoulders. The 15-year veteran who lives near Woods in Orlando, Fla., received the medical exemption after injuring both shoulders in a weight-lifting incident. Three years ago, police did not charge Atwal in an Orlando accident after he was involved in an accident that killed a driver attempting to beat him in a street race.
(Emily Kay is a regular contributor to New England Golf Monthly. Check her out at the Boston Golf Examiner and National Golf Examiner websites.)
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