Atwal fires 3-under 67 to be tied 14th in Mexico

Mexico City, Feb 23 (UNI) Arjun Atwal got off to an impressive start and turned in an opening round card of three-under 67 to be tied 14th at the Mayakoba Classic in Playa del Carmen.

At the top of the leaderboard, PGA Tour veteran Fred Funk, riding on five birdies in the first seven holes, charged into a two-shot lead with an eight-under 62 in the PGA Tour's first official money event to be staged on Mexican soil.

Playing his back nine first, Atwal did not have a great beginning. The lanky Indian dropped a shot in the 10th hole but still looked poised even on a sweltering day on the Greg Norman-designed El Camaleon course. He atoned for the early setback with back-to-back birdies on the 12th and 13th and then parred the next five holes to complete his halfway journey.

Resuming his round, Atwal slotted birdies on the first and third holes before conceding a dropped shot on fourth and four par shots later, the Indian picked up another shot in his last hole to complete his round.

With the game's leading 64 players competing in the WGC-Accenture Match Play Championship in Arizona, this might prove a golden opportunity for Atwal to notch up a decent finish.

UNI