Atwal finishes eighth in PGA event

Arjun Atwal finishes eighth in a six-way tie HP Byron Nelson Championship golf.

Irving (Texas): Arjun Atwal, who at one stage was placed second, fell prey to the brutal conditions on the final nine on final day as the winds were high and scoring became tough here at the HP Byron Nelson Championship golf.

Atwal had rounds of 68, 72, 67 and 74 for a total of one-over 281 to finish at eighth in a six-way tie and picked up USD 169,000. Keegan Bradley parred the first hole of a playoff with Ryan Palmer. Bradley sank a 2-foot par putt at the 419-yard 18th hole in the playoff, while Palmer`s approach went into the water before a 13-foot bogey putt. Palmer (72) and Bradley finished at 3-under 277, the highest winning score on the PGA tour this year -- and the highest in relation to par in a non-major since 1999. It was the fifth playoff in six weeks and 10th overall.Atwal, after starting the day at third place, seemed to ruin his chances with back-to-back bogeys on second and third. But he made up with birdies on fifth and seventh. At the turn, he was still three-under for the event and a fair shot at the title. But with bogeys on 11th, 14th, 15th and 18th, he ended on eighth. Bradley, a PGA tour rookie who never won on the Nationwide Tour, got his first professional victory nine days before his 25th birthday. Palmer forced the extra hole with a 6-foot putt at No. 18 for only the second birdie there all day. When that putt dropped, Palmer punched his right fist in the air and then raised both arms over his head. Bradley and Palmer then played No. 18 again, both going way right with their tee shots to start the playoff. Volunteers removed a temporary lemonade stand to give Bradley a line of sight to the green and avoid the necessity for a drop. Bradley`s approach was dangerously close to sliding off the side of the green into the water, but stayed up.Palmer went in the same direction but his ball didn`t stay dry and dropped into water. On the 172-yard 17th hole, Bradley sank a 12-foot par-saving putt and responded with an emphatic fist pump. After Bradley tapped in his par putt at No. 18, third-round leader Palmer was in one of the five groups still playing. Bradley then sat for a few minutes before going to the practice range to prepare for a playoff. Ryuji Imada (71) and Joe Ogilvie (70) finished a stroke back at 2 under. Imada bogeyed three of his last four holes after getting to 5 under. Defending Nelson champion Jason Day (67) was fifth at 1 under, the last player under par this week at TPC Four Seasons. PTI