The car crash in Florida that marred Arjun Atwal's season last year is finally a closed chapter for the Orlando-based golfer with the police clearing him of speed-racing charges that could have landed him in a legal mess.
"The (investigation) report went to the state attorney's office two weeks ago and last week I got a call from my lawyer saying they have thrown all the charges out. So, I am clear," Atwal, who is in Gurgaon for the Johnnie Walker Classic told reporters on Thursday.
The 33-year-old pro, whose season last year ended in a disaster as he lost his US PGA Tour card and barely managed to retain the Nationwide card, ended up adding to his woes by being involved in the highway crash that left one dead.
Atwal and the deceased were allegedly engaged a street race which led to the mishap.
Atwal, who is the first Indian to play in the US PGA Tour, denied being involved in any race and said the controversy took a mental toll on him.
"You know, it was just like a little ... it was not little; it was a lot distracting for me to play golf with. You know, the investigation hanging over my head.. even though I knew everything was going to be okay," he said. But now that he has been cleared, Atwal said he can finally move on.
"It is a pain when you have to deal with other things besides golf, and luckily, you know, everything is sorted out now. So I can go back to concentrating on golf," he said.
