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Arjun Atwal victory highlights growing clout of Asian Tour

Arjun Atwal believes that the Asian Tour's rising stature is now on full display following three out of a possible four victories against Europe's big guns in the space of a month.

The Indian star claimed a seventh career Asian Tour triumph with a tense play-off victory over defending champion Peter Hedblom of Sweden at the Maybank Malaysian Open on Sunday.

"Absolutely. You see how the Asian Tour has come about. I started here in 1995 and it was tough for the first few years for Asians to win big events but now, it happens every year. It's great," he said.

Compatriot S.S.P. Chowrasia got the ball rolling with a victory at the Indian Masters, holding off Ernie Els and Thomas Bjorn.

Then Asian Tour regular Mark Brown of New Zealand was triumphant at the Johnnie Walker Classic, also in India, where he left players such as Adam Scott and Vijay Singh in his wake.

India's Jeev Milkha Singh narrowly missed out on making it a clean sweep for the Asian Tour when he agonizingly finished second in the Indonesia Open, another event sanctioned by the Asian Tour and European Tour.

Atwal, who has risen to third place on the Asian Tour's Order of Merit, will now focus on regaining his USPGA Tour card via the secondary circuit, the Nationwide Tour.

But he said he will forever be indebted to the Asian Tour which shaped his fledgling career during the 1990s.

"The Asian Tour has helped me immensely. I went to my first Qualifying School in 1995 to learn how to make cuts, then to be in contention and finally win, all those I have learnt on the Asian Tour," Atwal said.
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