Atwal shoots 2-under 70 to lie T-71 after first round at Barbasol Championship

Another bogey on second meant he was 1-over, but birdies on the third, fourth and eighth on what was his second nine, saw him finish at 2-under 70 and T-71.Atwals round may well have been far better but for three misses from inside eighth feet.Canadas Adam Svensson had two eagles in a 10-under 62 to take a two-stroke lead.

Indian golfer Arjun Atwal produced three birdies after being 1-over through the first 12 holes in the first round of the PGA TOUR's Barbasol Championship. Atwal, who turns 50 next March and then hopes to play in the Champions Tour (for over 50), is the only Indian to have won on the PGA Tour with his Wyndham success in 2010.

Atwal started on the 10th and birdied 11th but gave back that gain on the 12th hole. Another bogey on second meant he was 1-over, but birdies on the third, fourth and eighth on what was his second nine, saw him finish at 2-under 70 and T-71.

Atwal's round may well have been far better but for three misses from inside eighth feet.

Canada's Adam Svensson had two eagles in a 10-under 62 to take a two-stroke lead. He eagled the par-5 15th and eighth holes. The first eagle came after his lone bogey on No. 14, and the second — on a 31-foot putt — gave him the lead. Svenson's best finish this season was a tie for seventh at the Sony Open in Hawaii.