Robert Allenby says he is ready for Australian Open
Robert Allenby looks forward to teeing off this Australian Open. The Melbourne-born golfer expects to put up a decent show as he prepares for the coming week.
"I love this place, this course, the relaxed atmosphere of this tournament," said Allenby, who has won here four times.
He seems to be a favourite of the crowd, some of the older folk recall with a wave of nostalgia when he had won his Australasia Order of Merit.
He turned professional in 1991, and since then, he has been a regular feature on the Official World Golf Rankings top 10.
The Australian Open, for Allenby, however, is cause for concern because he has not had the most consistent of years in the recent past.
On the US Tour just last season, he came close to walking away from the tournament. He seriously considered retirement from the game altogether, after he missed ten of the 13 cuts there were.
Allenby has had a knack for consistency and if he is to perform well enough at this season’s Australian Open, he needs to brush the dust kitties off his past glories.
Amongst the juicy gossip making the rounds these days is his relationship with countryman Geoff Ogilvy.
Last year’s PGA Championship had witnessed an incident between the two that could have turned to blows – the end of a glass bottle had been broken followed by Allenby’s incitation to Ogilvy to “step outside” – had not cooler heads prevailed.
Allenby had reportedly tweeted what Ogilvy perceived as sarcastic comments regarding his golfing competencies. Allenby has said repeatedly that the media lived up to its task of “blowing things completely out of proportion”.
"I'm constantly asked about it (in the US) and I keep telling everyone we're still good mates," said Allenby.
"The comments I made weren't meant to offend anyone. Geoff and I kissed and made up a few weeks after that. We've been mates since we were kids. Everything is sweet. There are no hard feelings".
Once the Australian Open kicks off, both the players will be a treat to watch. The tournament is expected to unveil intense rivalry and immense thrill throughout the four days.
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