Atwal shines in Carlsberg Skins shoot-out

India's Arjun Atwal walked away with US$ 5,000 in the rain-shortened Skins Shootout, the prelude to the Carlsberg Malaysian Open, at the Royal Selangor Golf Club on Wednesday.

The talented Atwal, who became the first Indian player to win a European Tour event at the Caltex Singapore Masters presented by Carlsberg last week, picked up three skins worth US$4,000 after an eight-foot birdie on the fifth hole.

Myanmar's Kyi Hla Han won two skins, totalling US$2,000, after chipping it stone-dead for a birdie on the second hole, but Frenchman Jean Van de Velde and Sweden's Jarmo Sandelin were shut out.

Organisers cancelled the nine-hole shootout when heavy rain lashed the Royal Selangor's Old Course after the players had teed off at the sixth hole.

Carlsberg later presented the four players with US$1,000 each as a token of appreciation as there was still US$9,000 at stake.

"You can't do anything about the rain," said Atwal. "But it's nice to earn US$ 5,000. I was just going par, par, par par and then chipped it to eight feet for the birdie on the fifth hole."

Veteran Han birdied the second hole when he hit a wedge to two feet and then matched Van de Velde's birdie on the fourth hole to ensure that three skins were on offer at the fifth. After Atwal snatched the money, play was soon halted.

Carlsberg Brewery Malaysia Berhad chief financial officer Chin Voon Loong presented the cheques to the players.

The US$1 million Carlsberg Malaysian Open, which is the richest national Open in the region, will begin tomorrow.