Robert Allenby High & Dry In Rain-Soaked RBC Heritage Classic.

Australia’s Robert Alllenby was lying high and dry and just one shot from the lead after only five holes before play was abandoned on day two of the RBC Heritage Classic at Hilton Head.

Torrential rain lashed the holiday tourist destination quickly flooding fairways and filling bunkers.

PGA Tour officials suspended the round at 2.54pm local time and then at 4.30pm announced play in the $US 5.8m event would resume at 8am Saturday morning local time.

Korean K.J. Choi was among just 64 players in the 130-player field to complete their rounds before the stoppage.

Allenby had birdied his first and second holes and had just found the fairway at the sixth when called from the Harbor Town Links course.

“I birdied one and two, and then parred the next few holes, and teed off 6, down the middle of the fairway and then they blew the horn,” he said.

'Aussie Rules' at anchor in Hilton Head Harbor during a previous RBC Heritage Classic.

‘Aussie Rules’ at anchor in Hilton Head Harbor during a previous RBC Heritage Classic.

“But at that stage it was getting very wet.  I mean, the water was running down the back of my shirt and you know where that ends up (laughter).  But that’s when I know it’s time to get out of there.

“But the funny thing is that we probably could have still played because the greens and the fairways really didn’t have any water on them, at least the ones that we were faced in front of us.

“However it’s not fun when it’s blowing 20 miles an hour every different direction and it’s raining at the same time as well.  So it was nice to get out of there.  We know it’s going to be raining until about 1 or 2 a.m.  So it’s a good thing that they called it.  And hopefully tomorrow morning by 8:00 we can start and get back into it.”

Allenby is no stranger to Hilton Head and the RBC Heritage Classic with the Victorian-born golfer having first contested the event in 1995 when he was forced to withdraw after the third round.

He’s since teed-up in 1997 (Missed Cut), 2000 (Missed Cut), 2001 (75th), 2006 (Withdrew after 3 rounds), 2008 (T14th) and then in 2009, 2010, 2012 and last year missing the cut in those years.

However despite a poor record on the golf course  Allenby’s always enjoyed attending the event, and including those years when he used to arrange for his off-shore fishing boat proudly named Aussie Rules‘ to be sailed up the coast from Florida and be moored in Hilton Head harbor for the week.

Robert Allenby looking to end a 13-year winless drought on the PGA Tour. (Photo:  kenneth e.dennis / kendennisphoto.com) Picture: Ken Dennis www.golffile.ie)

Robert Allenby looking to end a 13-year winless drought on the PGA Tour. (Photo: kenneth e.dennis / kendennisphoto.com) Picture: Ken Dennis www.golffile.ie)

“I’ve always enjoyed coming to Hilton Head and The Heritage has always been one of my favorite stops on Tour,” he said.

“I’ve recently sold my boat and used to come up here, I used to have it at this tournament probably six out of seven years.  I’ve had my family up on the boat and I’ve also had some buddies staying with me on the boat over the last few years and that.

“I’ve got to know a lot of great people from the marina and we’ve been tied up alongside each other for a number of years now.  And just with that event itself, the last couple of years I’ve been sort of hanging out a little bit on their boats.

“But it’s been nice.  It’s such a great place.  A shame about the weather at the moment, but it is a beautiful place to come to.  And it’s a great golf course.

“The thing I like about the golf course is that you have to use your imagination off the tee and then you have to use your imagination into the greens.  And it’s not about just hitting one particular shot.  You don’t have to be the longest hitter in the world.  You’ve just got to strategize yourself around the golf course and then make some putts, obviously.

“But I think it’s a unique golf course.  There is no other golf course like this one on the Tour.  And it’s always in great condition.  Even with this rain it’s still in great condition.  It’s just a pleasure to come to.”

If Allenby were to succeed this week it would be his fifth PGA Tour success and his first in over 13 years since capturing the 20o1 Nissan Open.

It would also be a fifth ‘Down Under’ success this year and also the fourth Australian to win on the PGA Tour in six weeks.

And when asked by www.golfbytourmiss.com if he finds any renewed inspiration in seeing the likes of Stephen Bowditch, Matt Jones and John Senden winning, Allenby provided an answer than probably explains why he has struggled in recent years.

“I’m super happy that the Aussies are winning and doing fantastic,” he said.

“I think more my focus is more on just myself and my focus is just on trying to rebuild my game and get it back to where it was.  I’m hitting the ball as good as I’ve ever hit it.  I’m doing everything the way I used to do it but it’s just confidence.  No one can help you with confidence.  You can only help yourself.  And it’s just been a lot of perseverance, and there’s a long, long way to go this week, even still.

“So I just hope that I can keep the confidence that I have at the moment going for the next couple of days.”

 

 

 

 



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