Robert Allenby

Robert Allenby was born in 12 July 1971. He is an Australian professional golfer. Allenby was born in Melbourne, Australia. His father was from Leeds, England and emigrated to Australia as a young man. He turned professional in 1992 and was soon successful, topping the PGA Tour of Australasia Order of Merit in his first season and again in 1994.

He continues to play some events on his home tour and has won 13 events on it, including one as an amateur. He also began to play on the European Tour and it was his principal tour until 1998. He won four tournaments on it, including three in 1996, when he finished third on the Order of Merit. He has featured in the top 10 of the Official World Golf Rankings. Allenby now plays primarily in the U.S. on the PGA Tour. He earned exempt status for 1999 by finishing 17th at the 1998 Qualifying School. He had a disappointing first season in America, coming 126th on the money list, but came good in 2000 when he won the Shell Houston Open and the Advil Western Open. He claimed another pair of wins the following season. In both of those years he came 16th on the money list. He has not won since but finished in the top 50 each year from 2002-2004. His performances in the major championships have been somewhat disappointing; his highest placing in a major is tied seventh at the 2004 U.S. Open. In 2005, when Robert Allenby won Australia’s golfing grand slam, you sensed he was ready to take on America once again. In that magical summer, the putts dropped on command and his steely eyes shone through those trademark transparent sunglasses. Allenby has one of the most consistent records on the PGA Tour: 308 events played, 230 cuts made, 124 top-25 finishes, 55 top 10-finishes and four victories. That’s a lot of money.

Allenby played for the International Team in the Presidents Cup in 1994, 1996, 2000, 2003 and 2009. After posting a 2-2-1 record in the 2009 Presidents Cup, Allenby accused Anthony Kim of being ill-prepared for his Sunday singles match, in which Allenby lost 5 and 3. In December 2009, Allenby became the first Australian to win the Nedbank Golf Challenge in South Africa, by defeating Henrik Stenson in a playoff. It was his first professional win in four years, but he did not have to wait long for the next as he returned home to claim his fourth Australian PGA Championship title the following week. Allenby is a patron and spokesperson for Challenge Cancer Support Network, which has raised more than $9 million since 1993 for children with cancer and blood disorders. He resides in Jupiter, Florida. He still ranks 33rd in the world and has a T10 and three T25 finishes in eight events. He can bomb the ball, ranking 25th in driving distance. He also ranks 27th in GIR and 10th in total driving. But the promise of winning consistently on the PGA Tour just hasn’t happened for the Victorian. He’s developed a nasty habit of choking on the final day in American tournaments.vRecently in the Gin sur Mer classic, he stood on the par 5-18th less than 100-metres from the pin after a sensible lay-up. Yet, he somehow managed to drill a pitching wedge well beyond the pin into a buried lie in the bunker.vWith that shot, his chances of a win were dashed. He went from a share of the lead to 7th position.

Allenby beat the defending champion, Sweden's Henrik Stenson, at the third extra hole of the Nedbank Challenge at Sun City in South Africa, his 11th play-off victory in 12 attempts. Allenby's victory, worth more than £720,000, was his first since his 2005 hat-trick of Australian Open, PGA and Masters titles. The pair had both picked up bogeys at the closing hole to finish on an 11-under total of 277. They then played the 502-yard 18th hole three more times before Allenby hit a six-iron to within five feet of the flag and two-putted. Stenson hit his approach shot into the grandstand, from where he had a free drop, but he could only pitch the ball 30 feet past the hole. "I'm glad it's over," a weary Allenby said after completing 21 holes in sauna-like conditions on a course playing tougher than Saturday due to a stronger wind. "I had a putt in regulation play to win, but took too much time over the line and not enough on the pace. These things happen when you are under the gun and the mind is racing."

He is ranked 182nd for putts-per-round averaging 30 (1.79 per hole). Consequently, when the putts don’t drop, especially in the final round, it has a dramatic affect on the rest of his game.Instead of playing consistent irons to the heart of the green, he goes for the risky shots to get closer to the pin, because he knows he might three putt. With such bad putting stats, it’s no surprise that he’s struggled in the majors. In 48 majors his best finish is seventh (2008 British Open & 2004 U.S. Open), and he’s never cracked the top-20 at the Masters.He is ranked 182nd for putts-per-round averaging 30 (1.79 per hole). Consequently, when the putts don’t drop, especially in the final round, it has a dramatic affect on the rest of his game. Instead of playing consistent irons to the heart of the green, he goes for the risky shots to get closer to the pin, because he knows he might three putt.

With such bad putting stats, it’s no surprise that he’s struggled in the majors.
In 48 majors his best finish is seventh (2008 British Open & 2004 U.S. Open), and he’s never cracked the top-20 at the Masters. It's not easy to go away from Choi he's the defending champ, a super iron player, and a crafty scrambler. But his game hasn't been right since the S.K. Telecom Open win in South Korea in 2008, and defending is a tough job, so we'll keep him off the sheet.