PGA Tour Player Under Investigation In Fatal Crash

POSTED: 11:35 pm EDT March 11, 2007
UPDATED: 10:16 am EDT March 12, 2007

ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. -- PGA Tour player Arjun Atwal is under investigation after police said what appeared to be a high-speed street race ended in a fatal crash near Orlando, Fla.

Atwal was not injured in the accident Saturday at 5:30pm. The other driver, John Noah Park, 48, died at a local hospital, Florida Highway Patrol Trooper Kim Miller said Sunday.

No charges have been filed against Atwal, the first player from India on the PGA Tour.

"At a minimum, he is facing a charge of engaging in a street race," Miller said. "We have to see if this crash rises to the level of any other charges."

Atwal's wife, Ritika, answered the phone at their Windermere home Sunday. She said her husband wasn't home and declined to talk about the crash. PGA Tour spokesman Ty Votaw said: "Until we learn more, we don't have any comment at this time."

PGA Tour player Daniel Chopra, who grew up with Atwal in India, said reports his longtime friend was racing sounded exaggerated. He had not spoken to Atwal.

"I think it's even more important that the media be a little careful in jumping to conclusions and not make him out to be a villain. Accidents happen," Chopra said. "It's all a matter of perspective. We'll have to find out what happens. I don't think it's as serious as maybe the first report."

Miller said troopers will use skid marks and other evidence to reconstruct the crash before filing any charges. The investigation could take up to two months.

"Witnesses tell us they were engaged in a street race," Miller said. "They estimated speeds at or about 100 mph. Park's vehicle hit a tree and basically just shattered. Part of the axle was found in the tree. It was a very violent crash."

The 33-year-old golfer and Park lost control on a curve on County Road 535 that is a popular shortcut between the Disney resorts and upscale communities west of Orlando.

Atwal's 2006 BMW spun and came to rest on the shoulder. Park's Mercedes slammed into a tree. The cars did not collide, Miller said.

Chopra said his wife talked to Atwal's wife on Sunday.

"Obviously, it was horrible it happened," Chopra said. "I hope people won't think he's somebody who caused the accident. He's a good driver. It was shocking."

Atwal was the first Indian-born player to win on the European tour when he captured the 2002 Caltex Singapore Masters by five shots. He went to PGA Tour qualifying school a year later and earned his card.

He nearly won a PGA Tour event two years ago. He was in Bali on his honeymoon in March 2005 when his parents warned him of impending storms, so he and his wife headed for their Florida home. Because the BellSouth Classic in Atlanta began late that week, he got into the tournament and wound up in a five-man playoff. Atwal was eliminated on the first extra hole of the tournament, won by Phil Mickelson.

He struggled last year and finished 140th on the PGA Tour money list, failing to keep full-exempt status on the PGA Tour. Atwal has played only three times this year, finishing in a tie for 36th at the Pebble Beach National Pro-Am and missing the cut the last two weeks in Mexico and the Honda Classic.

Atwal was not eligible to play again until the Houston Open at the end of the month.

One man was killed and a professional golfer could face charges after they crashed their high-priced sports cars in a fast-paced street race along a winding road near Windermere Saturday evening, authorities said.

John Noah Park, 48, died after his 2006 Mercedes-Benz coupe spun out of control going around a curve on County Road 535 (Winter Garden-Vineland Road) and crashed into a tree with such force that the car's axle was flung into the upper branches.

Arjun Atwal, a Windermere member of the PGA Tour, raced Park in his 2006 BMW sedan, said Trooper Kim Miller, a Florida Highway Patrol spokeswoman. He, too, lost control at the bend, but he spun out on the shoulder. Atwal, 33, was not injured.

The crash was still under investigation Saturday night, but Atwal could face criminal charges, Miller said.

"What they were doing, whether or not one was mad -- we don't know yet," Miller said. "They were both old enough to know better."

But troopers had "very good" witnesses who said the two were "engaged with each other." The two cars, however, never touched.

Park and Atwal are not the typical faces of street racing, the thrill of 20-somethings in low riders and souped-up sports cars.

But the fact that the men had the audacity to speed at roughly 100 mph along a road that winds through exclusive neighborhoods at 5:35 p.m. shows how pervasive the illegal -- and dangerous -- folly is, she said.

"Everyone does it," Miller said. "This just shows how much of a problem we've got."

The stretch of C.R. 535 where Park died is a dark, open road, infamous for speeders, Miller said. She said, however, that there have been no recent complaints of racing.

Atwal's wife, Ritika, answered a phone call late Saturday night but referred callers to her husband, who she said was in the shower. He did not return calls.

Attempts to reach Park's relatives early today were unsuccessful.

Atwal, who is not scheduled to play in this week's Arnold Palmer Invitational in Orlando, is ranked 322nd on the PGA Tour money list this year with $25,346 in 2007 earnings. He has earned just more than $2 million in his 12-year career on the tour, not counting sponsorships.

He fell out of the top 125 in 2005, posting one top-10 finish in the 33 events he entered that year.

Born in Asansol, India, Atwal is the first native of India to qualify for the PGA Tour.