Arjun Atwal got a huge monkey off his back after edging out defending champion Peter Hedblom of Sweden in a gripping play-off to win his second Malaysian Open title here today.

This was for the second month in a row that an Indian laid his fingers on an European Tour title. Fellow Kolkata pro SSP Chowrasia had won the Indian Masters at the Delhi Golf Club last month.

Recently exonerated from vehicular homicide charges from a road accident in Orlando last year, Atwal today played like a man possessed and birdied half the holes in a sizzling round of 64 to join Hedblom at 18-under 270 to force a playoff.

There on the second extra hole, Hedblom three-putted for a bogey, while Atwal held his nerve and sank a four-footer on the 17th to clinch it.

This was Atwal’s third European Tour title and the Indian pocketed Euro 219,483 for his exploits. Apart from his two Malaysian Open titles, Atwal had also won the 2002 Caltex Singapore Masters.

Though this is Atwal’s first title in five years, Atwal was playing on the more competitive US PGA Tour in the interim.

Among other Indians in the fray, Jyoti Randhawa (273) carded 71 for his share of the sixth place, while Gaurav Ghei (280) signed off with 70 to be tied 37th. SSP Chowrasia (282) needed a solid round for a top 10 finish but the Kolkata pro stuttered to a final round of 74, his worst card of the week, to finish tied 46th.

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