Atwal soars to tied 17th, Chopra slips to tied 41st at BC Open

Endicott, New York, July 24 (UNI) Arjun Atwal gave his best performance in several weeks, carding a sizzling five-under 67 to finish tied 17th, while Daniel Chopra (73) came up with his worst show of the tournament to drop to the tied 41st spot after the final round of the three million dollar BC Open at the Atunyote Golf Course here.

Orlando-based Atwal saved his best for the last as he fired in six birdies against a solitary bogey to finish with an impressive four-day tally of 12-under 276, seven shots off the pace of winner John Rollins (64) of US.

However, it turned out to be the worst day of the week for Indian-born Swede Chopra, who dropped three bogeys and a double-bogey against four birdies to end his campaign on a disappointing note despite being the leader after the first round.

Atwal had a blemish-free front nine after opening with a birdie on the second. The former Asian Tour number one followed this up by gaining two consecutive shots on the fourth and fifth before gaining another on the eighth.

His backward journey also started impressively with a birdie on the 10th but a dropped shot on the 16th pulled him back. He compensated for the lapse with a birdie on the last hole to round off a satisfactory show after weeks of disappointment which saw him miss cuts at several USPGA events.

In contrast, Chopra's fortunes took a turn for the worst after a bogey-free front nine studded with two birdies. He started his back nine with a double bogey on the 11th but redeemed himself with a birdie on the next hole.

However, Chopra fired a hat-trick of bogeys from 15th to 17th to blow away his chances of a top 10 finish before finishing with a birdie on the last hole.

At the top, Rollins won the title after beating compatriot Bob May (64) by a single shot. Japanese Shigeki Maruyama (65) finished a stroke behind at third.

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