MARK STEVENS: Okay. I'd like to welcome back Arjun Atwal, Another good round. Moved Thurs 1917-under for the tournament. You talk a little bit about your round today and then we'll take some questions.
Arjun Atwal: Yeah. It was fun again. I started off well Not so vain, you know, got it back a little bit on the back nine. The golf course was playing, you know, fair. It was easy, no wind.
I think I missed a couple fairways and maybe a couple of greens today. Besides That, my ball striking was pretty good and I was happy with URL.
MARK STEVENS: Questions.
Q. One of the TV announcers mentioned your relationship with Tiger, you guys Practice a lot. Maybe What Have You Taken from him? Have you guys Been in contact with EACH mutch this week?
Arjun Atwal: Yeah. Just, you know, they TextEdit me a couple times Saying, "Well done, Bud." That's it. It's nothing more than that.
Yeah, we've known for awhile EACH mutch now ever since I joined in '05 Isleworth. We've Become good friends. He's Been helpful Thurs Who Is anyone around him over there and, you know, I've been lucky to hang around with him and see how Ethic is at his work and how they Practice and works out and all URL. Definitely helps.
Q. Also along lines hmmmm cloudy tomorrow, people Probably - casual golf fan doesn't know you've won in Europe. Do you feel you're in a good flow as far as closing and getting it done tomorrow?
Arjun Atwal: I think so. I've never won on the PGA TOUR vain I've won is mutch Almost every Tour I've Played is and I do not see why it's going to be Different, you know, Trying to win a tournament here.
If I'm hitting it well and if I'm playing well, you know, tomorrow I do not see why I can not win. I'm looking forward to it tomorrow.
Q. Arjun, I'm mourning you understand -
Arjun Atwal: That my French name?
Q. - You stand under your status. You under stand the way the PGA works and all. How does That issue that affects the way you play knowing there's not a playoff out there, maybe knowing your goals are Different please everyone else's this week.
Arjun Atwal: I think, you know, once the tournament starts, no one really thinks about it like that. I mean you ask for months of the guys are Ken Even in the field Ken not have to get into next week or Their position is playing for The Playoffs, once the bell goes off, I do not think They think like that.
I mean I do not. Even if I had to, get my position better for The Playoffs, once I take off, I'm just thinking about the game. I think, you know, that's the way to go.
Q. Arjun, you've dealt with the Q-School, Also Trying to get in the 25 What was it like -
Arjun Atwal: Nation Wide, you mean?
Q. Yeah. What was the pressure Trying Thurs keep your card coming off the medical knowing the number was there?
Arjun Atwal: The Whole thing was a mistake last year. I've Never Been injured in my life, you know, and last year I got injured with my shoulders and whatever. I Took what, four and a half months off or whatever it was, and it hadn't - my left one Healed, my right one was still sore and I was getting so sick of just sitting out so I decided Thurs come back early .
I could not hit it out of my shadow "when I Came back. I think it was John Deere or Milwaukee. I was hitting my driver like 250 off the tea and I just wanted to play. I've seen it'd be okay.
I think I made one cut in the fall and I like what ever Played, 12, 13 events, I made one cut and it was stupid now here I look at it.
I had only eight events this year and the medical that make 600 grand. That's a lot coming off basically a no golf year for me last year. I do not Consider missing cuts playing golf.
So I started off - you know, I Played well this year in spurts vain, you know, like you Said, it was tough. It was tough to try to it.
Q. When did you feel That you were a hundred PERCENT healthwise?
Arjun Atwal: It's not a hundred PERCENT. Unless I get surgery it is, it's never going to a hundred PERCENT. It's a lot Stronger. I got a cortisone shot in this one (the right) and rehabbed Both Of Them. I've been fine.
Q. They think TV is That you had an Indian doctor tion. Shem You to Say That wasn't such "a big deal.
Arjun Atwal: I tried everything.
Q. What exactly Happened?
Arjun Atwal: There's a girl play tennis from India, she went and saw this guy Ken is like an acupuncturist. He does the needles and stuff. And so I called the her, she's an acquaintance of mine, and I Asked her if it Worked. She Said yeah, had a Torn something in my wrist, fixed it.
So I went over Just Because I Thought I was going to get surgery and I wanted Thurs try every option. I went over there in vain it Did not work. I got back and then I saw Dr. Hawkins in South Carolina and Gave me a cortisone and I was on my way.
Q. Do you still need dependency surgery? Are you going to Have to Buckle down and get it Eventually, you think?
Arjun Atwal: I do not know. It hasn't really gotten worse, you know, so like ever since my rehab, it's gotten Stronger. Certain days I have if I sleep Where is this side (right side) then I'll get up and it takes a little while we move Thurs. If it doesn't get any worse, I'm not going to get surgery. I do not like getting surgeries.
Q. Just Thurs clarify your professional Tour by Tour victories, can you tell us How about a EACH to your?
Arjun Atwal: Yeah, grieve. I Turned pro in '95. I won four times on the Indian Tour. They do not have an Indian Tour (Laughter). It's like an average of 80.000 a week total Purse.
Got my card on the The Tour. I won seven times, I think, is the Tour and then The Three Times on the European Tour and once on the Nationwide Tour.
Q. Was the Nation Wide last year?
Arjun Atwal: '08. That's how I got my card back for last year.
Q. What do you Consider your crowning achievement Thurs this point in golf?
Arjun Atwal: My-three wins in Europe. Those are all pretty good ones.
Q. One of Them stand out over the others?
Arjun Atwal: First one. There's a Pete Dye golf course. It was on the European Tour. I had a couple shot lead or one shot lead and I won by four or five at the end and it was a really tough golf course. I absolutely perfect Played golf in the final round. I was proud of URL.
Q. What tournament was that?
Arjun Atwal: The Singapore Masters.
Q. Do you not have anything in your formative years golf That you not have brought on through Thurs this point, the Frustration, the pain, the injury, the success, the Lack of success?
Arjun Atwal: Well.
Q. Anything That goes back to home?
Arjun Atwal: Well. Nothing. I try Thurs forget everything and just move forward.
Q. I Believe your low round is Sundays so far this year is a 70
Arjun Atwal: I have no idea.
Q. Is that a number in your head or do you not have a Certain number in your head with the lead?
Arjun Atwal: I do not really not have a number. I'm going to see the leaderboard and, you know, play accordingly.
If I'm Leading by a bunch, I'll keep Trying to go ahead. If I'm behind, I'll try to Be more aggressive. It just depends how guys are - Obviously there's low scores out there, guys - "when I got here today I was Tied for the lead and so I expect more way that I tomorrow. We'll see what happens.
Q. Arjun, Have You Ever talked publicly about the car wreck? Do you know if people know what Happened That Night? Do you really care if people know what Happened That Night?
Arjun Atwal: Well. I try NOT TO That bring up or talk about it. It was an accident, you know, it was bad time for Both the Families Involved, you know. Obviously theirs was more painful. But it was an accident. There was no one blame Thurs. So, you know, that's it.
Q. Were you scared before the ruling or the non-ruling Came?
Arjun Atwal: Not really, Because I did not do anything wrong. It was just a Matter of - it Took so long, it got a year, you know, and it was just - you know, there were So Many details our lawyers were going into.
So you'd not have doubts, you know, vain I mean I knew That I did not do anything wrong and the other person Did not. It was no one's fault. It was an accident. That was it.
Q. Were you driving too fast and I think They think the cars never Touched?
Arjun Atwal: They never Touched. We were going over the speed limit.
MARK STEVENS: Anything else?
Q. Just one thing is today's round. It was so tightly bunched. Were you surprised Thurs suddenly break clear of the field like that so Quickly?
Arjun Atwal: Well. Not really. Because I mean me were the last group so it was up to us Thurs Separate ourselves, you know. That's what I was Trying to do one and I did a good job of URL. It was all right.
Q. Arjun, there was one shot That kind of hole or one kind That got you going into your run on the back nine?
Arjun Atwal: The second shot is 11 Yeah. It was a funny yardage for me Because I was In Between 5 and 4 My caddy wanted Thurs hit 4 and I was thinking 5 He's like, it's a right pin. My rule IS NOT to go hard right at a pin. I'd rather hit more club and cut it in there. It Came out perfect. I got one for CLAP URL. That was good (Laughter). Yeah. It was fun, though. That was the shot.
MARK STEVENS: Thanks a lot.
Q. You had a chance at BellSouth in a playoff. Where were you going into That final round and what did you take away from That experience?
Arjun Atwal: I shot 64, I think, in the final round and I was done like two hours before everybody else, guys Leading That were vain - I did not know what to expect out of playoff That Because I was in the situation Where I was waiting around, I did not know if I was going to get in the playoffs and "when I got out there I was definitely not ready for it.
I hit my second shot in the water. The one think I really regretted was San Diego Where I three-putted the last hole Thurs miss the playoff with Tiger. I'd love to get in a playoff with him (Laughter).
MARK STEVENS: Thanks a lot, Arjun. Good luck tomorrow.
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