It’s so often said golf mirrors life.
If you’re happy and playing well on a golf course the fairways can seem as wide as Sydney Heads.
But when you’re struggling with your game then those same fairways can look as tight and narrow as the narrowest of back street laneways.
Robert Allenby is no stranger to the ups and downs of professional golf but his current run of PGA Tour poor form is certainly testing the mettle of the 41-year old Victorian.
Heading into this week’s Bay Hill Championship Allenby had made the cut just two cuts since June last year and he laughed ‘they were two WGC events where there was no cut’.
Robert Allenby fighting hard to find that light at the end of the tunner. (Photo – www.golfbytourmiss.com)
Since a share of seventh at the FedEx St. Jude Classic in Memphis it’s been Heartbreak Hotel for Allenby and not having played four rounds in 17 of 19 events and being forced to withdraw in another.
Allenby was exempt into last August’s WGC – Bridgestone Invitational and November’s WGC – Champions event in China and where there was no cut.
It is arguably Allenby’s poorest run of form since turning professional more than two decades ago.
And when you’re playing bad, the breaks continue to be bad!
Take the opening round of the Tampa Bay Championship in Florida.
On the eve of the event at Copperhead, Allenby was feeling a little run down and struggling with the symptoms of a sore throat and an on-coming head cold. He was prescribed some medicine but all the medicine did was make him feel drowsy.
Allenby stood on the first tee ready to go to sleep than being wide-eyed and ready to tackle the $5.5m prize money tournament.
What followed wasn’t pretty with Allenby posting a four over par 75 and his equal-poorest score in 17 rounds of the Innisbrook layout.
An example of getting an unlucky break was at the par four 11th. He’d just bogeyed three of the last four holes when his kicks left and lands right plumb behind a tree leaving him not shot at all.
“This season has been shithouse and I haven’t made a cut, except for two no-cut WGC events since last June,” he said.
“I just haven’t been playing well and I’ve struggled mentally by not playing well.
“I’ve struggled with the driver this year which has always been a strong point of my game.”
Allenby reacted to an indifferent start to the new season by removing the white driver, 3-wood and 5-wood and replaced them with the black-coloured versions that helped him to two of his four PGA Tour victories.
“So, now I’m driving the ball a lot better but when you’re playing bad, you keep getting those bad breaks like taking the wrong medicine at 6.10 this morning,” he said.
“I was just so drowsy and the medicine affected me so much but with all the wrong symptoms.
Robert Allenby’s last taste of success – 2009 Australian PGA Championship.
“But while there’s no sign of any light at the end of the tunnel, I’ll keep plugging away because I feel good, and it’s just that I need to get some breaks out there because I’ve just constantly been getting bad breaks.
“There was no better example of getting a bad break there at 11 where I find my ball has kicked hard against the back of a tree, and that’s what happens when you’re not playing well.
“When you’re playing well you get the good break and a little bit of luck which is what you need in playing golf.
“But I’m playing bad and that’s what happens. However I will keep preserving and see what happens and I will play every week when I can until I start playing good golf again.
Allenby, and the only player to win the Australian ‘Triple Crown’, teed up on the Gulf of Mexico shoreline having quietly slipped to 249th on the World Rankings, and that’s a drop of 169 place since finishing in a share of seventh last June in Memphis.
Two years ago, Allenby went into the new 2011 season ranked as high as 21st in the world and the assurance of a tee time in all four Majors and all four WGCs.
“I need to play my way out of this downturn in my game because I’m not one to sit around at home doing nothing,” he added.
“That’s not me. I need to be out here and while I am hopefully I’ll get to see that light at the end of the tunnel and work my way through all of this.
“Hopefully, I can put in one good round without any bad breaks and that will kick-start a turnaround.
“I’ve had bad spells in my career before but nothing like this before in my golfing life and I’m just lacking confidence.
“But the big plus is that I’ve got that black TaylorMade Burner back in the bag and that’s made me a lot happier.
“It’s the same club that some years back had me placed Number One in the ‘Total Driving’ stats or a top-10 every year with that club.
“So it’s like going back to the basics using the club and I’m also working my backside off trying to climb out of this trough I’ve found myself in.”
FOR THE RECORD –
PGA Tour wins – (4): 2000 Shell Houston Open, Advil Western Open. 2001 Nissan Open, Marconi Pennsylvania Classic.
International victories – (18): 1999 Victorian Open [Aus]. 1992 Perak Masters [Aus], Johnnie Walker Classic [Aus]. 1993 Optus Players Championship [Aus]. 1994 Heineken Australian Open [Aus], Honda Open [Eur]. 1995 Heineken Classic [Aus]. 1996 Alamo English Open [Eur], Peugeot Open de France [Eur], One2One British Masters [Eur]. 2000 Australian PGA Championship [Aus]. 2001 Australian PGA Championship [Aus]. 2003 MasterCard Australian Masters [Aus]. 2005 Australian Open [Aus], Australian PGA Championship [Aus], Australian Masters [Aus]. 2009 Nedbank Challenge [SAf], Australian PGA Championship [Aus].
