Arjun Atwal. Filepic Getty Images
Irving, Texas, US: Arjun Atwal, who celebrated his 50th birthday last month, marked his debut on the PGA Champions Tour (for Over 50) with an impressive Tied-11 place finish at the Invited Celebrity Classic.
Atwal, who plans to play the Seniors, while also playing the main PGA Tour, like he will this coming week in Mexico, is also likely to feature in some Senior Majors this season.
The only Indian to win on the PGA Tour, Atwal, shot rounds of 70-68-70 and finished 5-under 208 in the 54-hole event at the Las Colinas Country Club in Irving, Texas.
The final round saw Atwal, who played this week on a sponsor’s invite, holed three birdies, the third of which came on the closing 18th hole. He dropped a double bogey on the Par-4 ninth, which he had bogeyed on the first day also.
Next week Atwal plays the Mexico Open at Vidanta as will American-Indian Akshay Bhatia. World No. 1 Jon Rahm, the Masters champion headlines the field. Also in the field will be Tony Finau (No. 11) and Wyndham Clark (No. 14).
Mark Hensby captured his first win on PGA TOUR Champions in a four-hole playoff over Charlie Wi. After tying each of the first three playoff holes (Nos. 18, 18, 17) with pars, Hensby made par on the fourth playoff hole (No. 18), while Wi made double bogey after hitting his second shot into the penalty area. This was the first playoff of the 2023 season on PGA TOUR Champions
In the celebrity competition, last year’s runner-up Tony Romo took the title by defeating defending champion Mardy Fish by five points.
Charlie Wi, who started the week as fifth alternate, finished runner-up after falling to Hensby in the playoff. This was Wi’s first top-10 on PGA TOUR Champions in nine starts.
Hensby, who entered the day one behind, played the front nine in even par. Wi played his first 12 holes in 5 under to seize a three-shot lead, only to blow through it all and then some by going bogey, par, double bogey, bogey with two three-putts.
Then, finally, Wi, playing in the group ahead of Cejka and Hensby, fought back and rolled in clutch birdie putts on 17 and 18 to go from one behind to take the lead by one at 12 under. So Cejka and Hensby came to 18 knowing they needed to birdie the par 5. Cejka laid up on his second shot and couldn’t make a 20-footer to tie.
Hensby hit a 3-wood from 270 yards that rolled just through the green. He putted past the hole to 4 feet and made the birdie to force the playoff.
Cejka came in solo third, followed by Q-School medallist Richard Green and veteran Jerry Kelly, who tied for fourth.
The Celebrity Competition was won by last year’s runner-up Tony Romo, the former Dallas Cowboys quarterback, who came from behind to capture the celebrity competition title with 107 points. Defending champion and 36-hole leader Mardy Fish, former professional tennis player, finished runner-up with 102 points after scoring 29 in the final round. World Golf Hall of Fame member Annika Sorenstam finished third with 101 points.
