Atwal, who has been out of competitive play since missing the cut at the Mayakoba Classic in late February, will on Thursday tee off at the John Deere Classic, rejoining the PGA Tour, itself back on two healthy feet after the return of its biggest advertisement, Tiger Woods.

“I’m feeling good about getting back,” Atwal told The Indian Express over the phone. “It has been a long time out for me in an important year, but now I want to make the most of the remaining tournaments this season.”

Longer rest

The 36-year-old had wanted to begin the return with a lighter warm-up by playing the Nationwide Tour’s Players Cup in late June. A technicality came in the way of that — PGA Tour players who qualify for the week’s tournament on the higher tour are not allowed to play the Nationwide tournament. Atwal was qualifying on merit for the Travelers Championship in the same week, but had chosen not to play there.

“I wanted to be tournament sharp before returning to the PGA Tour, but was told of the rule once I made inquiries about playing in the Nationwide Cup,” Atwal said. “But it turned out for the best, as it gave me another two weeks’ rest and practice.”

Four months is the minimum time a player has to miss to qualify for a major medical extension for the next season.

After struggling for a couple of years, Atwal had finally made it back to the top rung, earning his PGA Tour card with a top-25 finish on the step-up Nationwide Tour, for the 2009 season. So the injury, coming early in the season and threatening to put him out for the year, was timed disastrously.

Surgery seemed like an obvious option, but Atwal travelled back home to India to work with Jatin Choudhry, a doctor specialising in an alternative magnet and needle therapy, and then worked on a month-long rehabilitation programme with a sports specialist in South Carolina.

Long way off

He’s placed 202nd in the money rankings at the moment, having been able to play only four tournaments through the season, a long way off the top-125 spot that would seal a place for next season.

“Still, I’m feeling extremely confident,” Atwal said. “The surgery would have set me back a long way, but my game has been in really good shape and now I’m just counting the positives.”