Arjun Atwal turned to his close friend Tiger Woods for a word of advice soon after being appointed captain of Team Asia for the third edition of the EurAsia Cup
Tiger Woods
Arjun Atwal turned to his close friend Tiger Woods for a word of advice soon after being appointed captain of Team Asia for the third edition of the EurAsia Cup.
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Woods' experience of playing in the Ryder Cup and being the vice-captain at events like Ryder Cup and President's Cup, were what he was looking for and this week that could well be put into use.
Atwal said, "I was kind of surprised they asked me. To represent this team is truly an honour. It's a lot of fun. I got to meet some of the guys that I didn't really know that well today and everyone is having a great time in the team room, on the golf course and that's what I want it to be like. It's been great."
Asked if he sought advise or picked anybody's brains after being chosen captain, Atwal said, "Yeah, a little, just to see what to expect in this type of tournament and format. I pretty much picked Tiger's brain a little bit because we are really close.
"I saw Davis (Love III) at a range somewhere and I kind of told him that I was captaining.
"So, yeah, a few guys but nothing, not like calling them every day and bothering them. Just a few things just to get an idea of what to deal with and what to expect. That was all."
Atwal spoke to them about the pairings and how to pair up players.
"You've got to understand, with my team, like he (Tiger) said. I have players from all over. There's two guys playing in Japan, two or three guys playing on the PGA Tour, two on The European Tour, four or five on the Asian Tour.
"So I'm trying to get all these guys together in these two days, to gel, and that's pretty hard to do when a few don't really speak English that well and you need to get even more work done. So for me, it has been a little bit of a challenge but it's fun, as well. It's all good."
Atwal, is likely to field his countrymen, Anirban Lahiri and SSP Chawrasia together, as also the Japanese duo, Hideto Tanihara and Yuta Ikeda. But the pairings will be made known on Thursday. Kiradech Aphibarnrat and SSP Chawrasia will be the key members for Asia.
European captain Thomas Bjorn, who will also be the captain at the Ryder Cup, leads one of the strongest European teams in the event. He said, "Here's nothing in golf that brings out the best in everything as team events; as the players, the fans, TV, all think that this is a wonderful event to play in and be part of.
"The Ryder Cup is a special event. The Presidents Cup is growing and growing every year, and it's a special event in its own right. Now here (EurAsia) is an event that has all those potentials.
"Golf in Asia is growing dramatically and the amount of players that are coming out of Asia in world golf shows where golf is going for the future, and that makes this event have a very good place in the game."
Atwal, who last won on the Asian Tour in Dubai Open in 2014, also lost the 2017 AfrAsia Bank Mauritius Open in a play-off barely five weeks ago.
Asked if enjoyed being the captain or would he rather have played the event, Atwal smiled and said, "Captain. That's easier." But of course, he still continues his own career as a player on Asian Tour, where he first started almost two decades ago. Coming close to a win was a big boost and that confidence is what he will use to drive his young and ambitious Asian Team.
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