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Atwal finishes 23rd, Wolff eagles 72nd to win maiden title

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Press Trust of India Blaine (US)
Last Updated : Jul 08 2019 | 4:35 PM IST

Indian golfer Arjun Atwal, who was in contention to break his nine-year title drought, was unable to turn in the magic on the final day, carding a one-under 70 to finish Tied-23rd at the inaugural 3M Open on Sunday.

Atwal had become the first Monday qualifier to win an event on the PGA Tour when he clinched the 2010 Wyndham Championship and the 46-year-old Indian was three shots off the lead after the third round.

His superb performance on Monday and then from Thursday onwards did earn him a spot into this week's John Deere Classic, the last event to try and earn a sport into The Open.

Atwal's 70 gave him a total of 13-under and his T-23rd was his best finish of the season.

However, the day belonged to the 20-year-old, Matt Wolff, who was playing only his third event as a pro and only the fourth PGA event ever.

Wolff trailing Bryson DeChambeau by a shot on the 18th fairway, not just caught up but overhauled the leader with a stunning 26-foot putt for 21-under 263 that gave him his first PGA Tour win and opened a whole new world for him.

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Atwal who started the day three shots off leader Wolff had all his chances wrenched away when he double bogeyed the Par-3 fifth and there was another bogey on seventh.

Not even birdies on sixth and eighth helped as he turned in one-over as the leaders kept moving away. On the back nine he fought back to two-under with three birdies and one bogey but he only got one-under 70 and to 13-under.

"Well, it was nice of the guys at John Deere (Classic) to give me an invite. That means I don't have to Monday qualify or it would have been a long drive," he said.

Winner Wolff's previous pro starts were Travelers Championship (MDF/T80) and Rocket Mortgage Classic (MC). As an amateur, he finished T50 at the 2019 Waste Management Phoenix Open.

Wolff will also tee up at Augusta in 2020. He will also become eligible for the following 2020 calendar events: Sentry Tournament of Champions, PLAYERS Championship and PGA Championship.

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First Published: Jul 08 2019 | 4:35 PM IST

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