Tiger Wood's advice helped me win: Atwal

Atwal, 34, edged Swede Peter Hedblom in a playoff after a final round 64 allowed him to surge up the leaderboard at the Kota Permai Golf Club on Sunday, regaining the title he first won in 2003.

The victory in the co-sanctioned event gave the US-based player his third success on the European Tour and seventh on the Asian Tour.

The 2003 Asian Tour number one and first Indian to play on the US PGA Tour, Atwal is regrouping after a career slump over the last two years, during which he was hampered by a back injury and a police probe into a car accident in the US.

Last month, Atwal was cleared of all charges concerning the incident in Florida last March which resulted in the death of a man driving the other vehicle involved. The probe had centred around whether the two cars had been racing at high speed.

"I don't know how to put it in words," an emotional Atwal told reporters.

"To come out of that and win, it's great for me personally."

He said the world number one had played a prominent role in helping him reshape his game.

"I belong to the same club as Tiger in Orlando and he's been a big help," he said. "Just practising with him and watching him work the way he does is motivation enough for me.

"For him to come and help me with my swing and more on the fitness factor has been really big for me.

"He doesn't give me lessons but anytime I have problems, I can ask him and he'll help me out," he said. "If you get anything from the world number one, you'll take it gladly."

Atwal said his priority still remained on the US circuit.

"I want to get my PGA Tour card back," he said. "We've moved to Orlando and my eldest son goes to school there.

"But having won this, I have to reassess my schedule but it's too early to talk about that."

The region's golfers have won the last three co-sanctioned events, after local player Shivshankar Chowrasia won the Indian Masters and New Zealand's Mark Brown triumphed in the Johnnie Walker Classic in India last month.

"You see how the Asian Tour has come about," Atwal added.