I am indeed a great admirer of Tiger Woods but when Indian golfer Arjun Atwal is in contention, my heart says ARJUN, ARJUN.

That was the case last weekend at the Buick Invitational on the USPGA tour. Young and dynamic Sergio Garcia was leading the field at 11 under par going into the final round, Woods (who has won the tournament the previous three times) was just one stroke off the lead and there was Arjun at 8 under par with a slim chance of victory only if he produced a spectacular final round. Trust me, I was whole-heartedly supporting Atwal.

After the regulation 72 holes, three players were tied at 10 under and Atwal was at 9 under. He had a chance to tie for the top spot but missed the birdie putt on the last hole from eight feet. However he still managed to finish tied for fourth, which helped him to jump to 16th place on the PGA tour after three appearances, earning $ 256,668.

Atwal is the first Indian to have secured, in 2004, a tour card for the USPGA, the world's most celebrated golf tour. Other Asians who have qualified can be counted on the fingers of two hands.

Atwal's compatriot Daniel Chopra also secured his card the same year but Chopra plays under the Swedish flag as his mother is Swedish. Atwal has not only secured the tour card but has also proved that he can rub shoulders with even the big guns on any given day.

Last year he lost a victory in a playoff (in sudden death) with top golfer Phil Mickelson at the Bellsouth Classic. Atwal earned $ 963,168 last season in 24 appearances.

He is the only Indian professional golfer to win on the European PGA tour and has registered triumphs at the Caltex Singapore Masters, in 2002, and the Carlsberg Malaysian Open the following year. He is the first professional to have crossed the million-dollar mark on the Asian tour after winning the Hero Honda Masters 2003 at the Delhi Golf Club.

Atwal apparently had the best putting average on the PGA tour in 2005-an average of 1.710. With such statistics under his belt this 33-year-old has all the needed skill and tenacity to come out tops on the tour and in the world.

Atwal is undoubtedly a trendsetter for Indian and Asian golfers and gives a huge boost to the golfing community in this part of the world. Every week I check the PGA tour's web page to see how this Indian golfer fared.

Good Luck Arjun! Hope you will keep the Asian flag flying and bring us lots of golfing glory.

Deepak Acharya is a golf instructor and Golf Director at Gokarna Forest Golf Resort & Spa, Kathmandu. [email protected]