Round 4: THE PLAYERS
May 9 2010
8:02 pm
How Allenby’s putt on 17 was painfully short
How close did Robert Allenby’s birdie putt come to going in the hole on the par-3 17th Sunday at THE PLAYERS Championship?
“It went up to the hole, stayed on top then rolled back about an inch,” said Allenby, who came up one stroke short of forcing a playoff with Tim Clark at TPC Sawgrass. “That was probably the most disbelief that I’ve ever witnessed, especially in those circumstances, knowing that it’s got to go in to tie Tim. For it to go up to the hole and take a little look over the top and then come back, that was a bit rude.”
Allenby had a chance to extend the tournament with a birdie on the next hole, too, but what he’ll be remembered for here this week is that putt. Another half-roll, maybe even a quarter-roll, and it drops.
“I thought that putt was in,” Allenby said. “It was a very bumpy looking line and track all the way to the hole, a lot of spike marks and stuff. But I really did think it was going to get to the hole.”
If not for one spike mark in particular, it might have. There was a spiked up piece of grass just at the front edge and the hole was slightly raised up.
“Obviously they put nothing on [the greens]. That’s why they were just brown, no greenness to them, and they were super, super slick,” Allenby said. “I can’t tell you how some putts are so nerve wracking because they were just so slick. You could tap it, and that ball could just get away from you very, very easily. So you really had to be in control of what you were doing and your emotions, as well.
“That was a putt that if I hit it a little bit too firm, I could lip it out on the high side and go six feet past. My main goal was I picked my line to just get to the hole, and I hit it exactly the way I wanted to do it. I know I hit a good putt.”
Just not good enough, though it’s hard to fault Allenby whose 2-under 70 was better than average on a day when the field average was more than two strokes over par.
“Obviously the golfing Gods were with Tim today, and I can accept that,” Allenby said. “I did everything that I could possibly do to try and win the tournament.” — Brian Wacker
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Dang stiff Rob,watched the put on my computer at work on Mon morning in Aust after a great tee shot into 17.Keep persisting mate.Fantastic
to see your momentum carrying on from 09 in Africa & Australia.
Keep at em Rob I know you have a win or two in you this year.
well done to Tim – fan from hometown – Umkomaas
RSA
AT LAST — 206 STARTS what a record -
keep at em Rob, A win is just around the corner.
That Putt on 17 was awfull to watch.It literally rolled back. Tiger would of made it
Nick – did you mean Tiger +70 or “old Tiger”?
Robert, you made all Aussies proud. Living in the US, the emotions of your great efforts by those around me, just made me feel very proud to be an Aussie.
This sort of things happen quite often in this silly game called Golf. It happens to everyone but a few seemed to fall victim more often than others. Just ask Norman or Garcia….
I’ve said it before & I’ll say it again. It’s not a good idea to wear a red shirt on Sunday in the hopes that something good will happen. When I saw that red shirt on Allenby, I said, “no way are you going to win today”. I know it sounds silly, but Tiger owns that color on Sunday. I stand to be corrected but no one that I can remember other than Tiger has won a PGA event wearing red on Sunday.
You certainly do stand to be corrected, or at least stand to get a new TV. Allenby was wearing a pink shirt in honor of his late mother. Ever since she passed away in January, he’s worn a pink shirt on Sundays.
Besides, Tiger didn’t invent red, and plenty of others have won on Sundays wearing red.
Now, here’s a chance to save face; perhaps you meant WESTWOOD shouldn’t have worn red, because he did, and he lost.
Great job all week, Robert! I have a strong feeling that you will win here in the U.S. in 2010.
Fan from Michigan
To Shiloh. Maybe you miss printed, but Mr. Allenby wasn’t wearing a red shirt on Sunday. He wore a hot pink shirt in honor of his mother. The red shirt on the other had belonged to Mr. Westwood. As for winning with the red shirt, Y.E. Yang did it last year or the year before in Florida. The color doesn’t belong to Tiger.
Shiloh – It was a pink shirt and it was in honor of his mum.
And Tiger was home, in his black and red pajamas. :D
Great playing Bob. You can’t be down on your performance. It looks like you are hitting the ball better than anybody right now. Fairways and greens bud. The shortstick is coming around too. A WIN is coming. Good work Bob.
Ill always be looking for you at the top.
Hey Rob the betting line on you was an unreal # of 95-1 what are they smoking???I had you and Tim at 130 so I had a great week.
You are a regular in my picks as years ago I worked for POM and I know great ball hitting when I see it. It WILL come.