Atwal looking to regain top spot on APGA Tour

Star Indian golfer Arjun Atwal will look to the $1.5 million BMW Asian Open, the richest tournament on the Davidoff Asian PGA Tour calendar, to reclaim his spot atop the Asian PGA Tour’s 2002 Order of Merit.

The tournament commences at the Ta Shee Golf and Country Club on Thursday.

The BMW Asian Open is the third last leg on the Asian PGA-run Davidoff Tour this season and the first stop on the 2002/03 European Tour international schedule.

"I am keen to regain my spot atop the Order of Merit as it stands to open out a number of possibilities for me in the future," said Atwal, who recorded an impressive win at the Clatex Singapore Masters at the Laguna National GCC on the same Tour, earlier this season.

Atwal’s other impressive performance this season, include a fourth place finish at the London Myanmar Open and a tied-fifth finish at Hero Honda Masters 2002.

The New York-based Atwal is currently placed second on the Order of Merit, with earnings of $177,675 in nine starts. Thailand’s Thongchai Jaidee heads the list at $183,015 in only five starts.

Jaidee recently finished second in the TCL Classic last week behind Colin Montgomerie, and will relish a return to Ta Shee as he finished joint second with Jose Maria Olazabal last year, a result that propelled him to the Davidoff Tour Order of Merit title.

Set on hilly terrain and across a 102-hectare site, Ta Shee has 27 holes, which are of international standard, and offers stunning vistas. The course was also recently re-designed by the world's famous Robert Trent Jones.

Ta Shee has hosted numerous international tournaments in the past, including the 1997 and 1998 Johnnie Walker Super Tours and the 1999 Johnnie Walker Classic. The hosting of the BMW Asian Open, Asia's richest event, is another feather in the cap for Ta Shee.