CLARKSBURG (Canaa): Arjun Atwal faltered on a treacherous back nine and turned in one-over 73 to find himself at an unflattering tied 119th after the opening round of the $800,099 Ford Wayne Gretzky Classic on the Nationwide Tour here.
The Orlando-based Indian, playing his back nine first, began with a birdie and was in fact two-under when he approached the 14th, only to drop four shots over as many holes on a wretched stretch. Atwal bogeyed the 14th, parred the next and followed it up with a double bogey and a bogey to take the turn at two-over.
On resumption, Atwal bogeyed the third and ninth as well but squeezed in a birdie treble in between to minimise the damage and round off with a card of 73 at the Georgian Bay Club.
Aron Price and Greg Chalmers carded identical rounds of 65 to share the top spot with the Rich Barcelo-Trevor Dodds duo trailing them from one shot behind.
