Captain Arjun Atwal proud of Team Asia despite defeat at Eurasia Cup
Atwal’s team had led for two days after the Fourball and Foursomes matches but were outplayed by Team Europe in…
Indian golfer Arjun Atwal battled to a three-under 68 in swirling wind to tie for the third round lead with Louis De Jager of South Africa at the AfrAsia Bank Mauritius Open on Saturday.
Atwal, a former Asian Tour number one, enjoyed a solid front nine 32 before adding his fifth birdie on the 14th hole. He was ahead by one-shot heading into the 18th but missed a four-foot par putt to finish on 13-under-par 200 total at the Heritage Golf Club.
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The 30-year-old De Jager produced a flawless 67, highlighted by two birdies in each half, to charge into contention at the 1 million euros (approximately $1.07 million) event sanctioned by the Asian Tour, European Tour and Sunshine Tour.
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Talented Filipino Miguel Tabuena birdied the closing two holes to stay one-shot back of the leaders following a round of 67. He shared third place with Dylan Frittelli of South Africa who also birdied the last hole for a 68.
Atwal, who will captain Team Asia in the EurAsia Cup presented by DRB-HICOM in 2018, will enter the final 18 holes with huge confidence after retaining his lead which he has held since firing a course record 62 on the opening day.
He did not play a practice round this week and is still recovering from a 16-hour journey from Kuala Lumpur. He remains relaxed on the holiday isle of Mauritius as he searches for a ninth Asian Tour title and his first since 2014.
“I played solid all day except for a blip on the last hole which won’t bother me. It did play harder today. It was definitely blowing harder out of the three days. I played solid all day,” Atwal said in an Asian Tour release.
“The driving was difficult because we had crosswinds on most holes but I drove it on most days pretty good. I’m really looking forward to Sunday. With the way I’m playing, I think I have a good shot at it. I’m really calm here but a bit tired. You mixed those two together and I think I’ll be okay on Sunday!”
The 23-year-old Tabuena recovered from an opening bogey to return with five birdies and stay in the hunt for a second Asian Tour title.
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