Robert Allenby (born 12 July 1971) is an Australian professional golfer.

Robert Allenby
Allenby in 2004
Personal information
Born (1971-07-12) 12 July 1971 (age 53)
Melbourne, Australia
Height6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)
Weight185 lb (84 kg; 13.2 st)
Sporting nationality Australia
ResidenceJupiter, Florida, U.S.
Career
CollegeNone
Turned professional1991
Current tour(s)PGA Tour Champions
Former tour(s)European Tour
PGA Tour of Australasia
PGA Tour
Korn Ferry Tour
Professional wins22
Highest ranking12 (9 May 2010)[1]
Number of wins by tour
PGA Tour4
European Tour4
Sunshine Tour1
PGA Tour of Australasia12
Other1
Best results in major championships
Masters TournamentT22: 2006
PGA ChampionshipT9: 2004
U.S. OpenT7: 2004
The Open ChampionshipT7: 2008
Achievements and awards
PGA Tour of Australasia
Order of Merit winner
1992, 1994
PGA Tour of Australasia
Player of the Year
1992
PGA Tour of Australasia
Rookie of the Year
1992

Early years

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Allenby was born in Melbourne on 12 July 1971. He is of English descent, with his father being a native of Leeds.

Professional career

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He turned professional in 1992 and was successful almost immediately, 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 times in Australassia, including the Victorian Open 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 20 of the Official World Golf Rankings.[2]

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 to 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 he became the first golfer to win the "triple crown" of the Australian Masters, Australian PGA and Australian Open in the same year.

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, 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.[3]

Allenby missed the cut in the 2011 Masters Tournament by one stroke after bogeying the 18th hole of the second round. In February 2012, Allenby missed an opportunity to end an eleven-year drought on the PGA Tour, when he took a two stroke advantage to the 72nd hole of the Mayakoba Golf Classic. He hit his tee shot into the trees on the right and proceeded to make double bogey to fall into a playoff with rookie John Huh. He lost out at the eighth extra hole when he could only bogey the par three 10th, leaving Huh with a tap in par for the tournament. Both players had made par on all seven previous holes throughout the playoff until this point.[4]

Controversies

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Statements made by Allenby at the 2009 and 2011 Presidents Cups generated controversy. In 2009, following a loss to American Anthony Kim in the Sunday singles, Allenby accused Kim of partying all night on the eve of the Singles matches. That statement was vehemently denied by Kim and the members of the American team.[5] In 2011, following a 0–4–0 record at the Presidents Cup where he failed to gain any points for the International team, he asserted that his record wasn't completely his fault and cited his partners' poor play as a reason. His partners, including Geoff Ogilvy, were displeased with Allenby's comments. The following week, at the Australian PGA Championship, Allenby got into contention which resulted in Ogilvy making a tweet that Allenby perceived as being sarcastic. After the tournament ended, Allenby exchanged heated words with Ogilvy and came close to having a physical altercation with Ogilvy.[6]

In July 2015 at the RBC Canadian Open, Allenby had a verbal altercation with his caddie, Mick Middlemo, after playing four holes.[7] While Allenby says that he was verbally abused and threatened by Middlemo, Middlemo says Allenby was verbally abusive.[8] Middlemo walked off the course and Allenby selected a school principal from the gallery to carry his clubs the rest of the round.[9] Later reports from another caddy in the group, Simon Clarke, seemed to indicate the problem was with Allenby. Clarke said, "I've known Rob for a long time and I've known Mick for a long time. It's disappointing that at age 42, or however old he [Allenby] is, he's still treating people that way and how many good caddies he's gone through."[10]

Personal life

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Allenby resides in Jupiter, Florida.[11]

Allenby is a patron of the Challenge Cancer Support Network, which has raised more than AU$9 million since 1993 for children with cancer and blood disorders.[12] On 22 June 2000, he was awarded the Australian Sports Medal.[13]

Allenby said he was kidnapped while drinking at a bar in Honolulu on 17 January 2015, with his kidnappers robbing and beating him before leaving him in a park several miles away.[14] An arrest was made concerning the false use of his credit card when it was used to spend US$32,000 at a strip club, which was filed as a case of mistaken identity.[15]

Amateur wins

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Professional wins (22)

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PGA Tour wins (4)

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No. Date Tournament Winning score Margin of
victory
Runner(s)-up
1 30 Apr 2000 Shell Houston Open −13 (68-67-68-72=275) Playoff   Craig Stadler
2 9 Jul 2000 Advil Western Open −14 (69-69-68-68=274) Playoff   Nick Price
3 25 Feb 2001 Nissan Open −8 (73-64-69-70=276) Playoff   Brandel Chamblee,   Toshimitsu Izawa,
  Dennis Paulson,   Jeff Sluman,
  Bob Tway
4 23 Sep 2001 Marconi Pennsylvania Classic −19 (70-65-66-68=269) 3 strokes   Larry Mize,   Rocco Mediate

PGA Tour playoff record (3–2)

No. Year Tournament Opponent(s) Result
1 2000 Shell Houston Open   Craig Stadler Won with par on fourth extra hole
2 2000 Advil Western Open   Nick Price Won with par on first extra hole
3 2001 Nissan Open   Brandel Chamblee,   Toshimitsu Izawa,
  Dennis Paulson,   Jeff Sluman,
  Bob Tway
Won with birdie on first extra hole
4 2008 Stanford St. Jude Championship   Trevor Immelman,   Justin Leonard Leonard won with birdie on second extra hole
5 2012 Mayakoba Golf Classic   John Huh Lost to par on eighth extra hole

European Tour wins (4)

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No. Date Tournament Winning score Margin of
victory
Runner(s)-up
1 12 Jun 1994 Honda Open −12 (72-67-68-69=276) Playoff   Miguel Ángel Jiménez
2 9 Jun 1996 Alamo English Open −10 (69-71-69-69=278) 1 stroke   Ross McFarlane,   Colin Montgomerie
3 30 Jun 1996 Peugeot Open de France −16 (70-65-68-69=272) Playoff   Bernhard Langer
4 31 Aug 1996 One 2 One British Masters −4 (69-71-71-73=284) Playoff   Miguel Ángel Martín

European Tour playoff record (3–0)

No. Year Tournament Opponent Result
1 1994 Honda Open   Miguel Ángel Jiménez Won with par on third extra hole
2 1996 Peugeot Open de France   Bernhard Langer Won with birdie on first extra hole
3 1996 One 2 One British Masters   Miguel Ángel Martín Won after concession on first extra hole

Sunshine Tour wins (1)

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No. Date Tournament Winning score Margin of
victory
Runner-up
1 6 Dec 2009 Nedbank Golf Challenge −11 (68-70-68-71=277) Playoff   Henrik Stenson

Sunshine Tour playoff record (1–0)

No. Year Tournament Opponent Result
1 2009 Nedbank Golf Challenge   Henrik Stenson Won with par on third extra hole

PGA Tour of Australasia wins (12)

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Legend
Flagship events (2)
Other PGA Tour of Australasia (10)
No. Date Tournament Winning score Margin of
victory
Runner(s)-up
1 18 Oct 1992 Perak Masters −13 (66-70-68-71=275) 2 strokes   Stuart Bouvier,   Marimuthu Ramayah
2 6 Dec 1992 Johnnie Walker Australian Classic −13 (66-68-69-72=275) 5 strokes   Peter Senior
3 24 Jan 1993 Optus Players Championship −14 (71-66-69-68=274) Playoff   Wayne Grady
4 27 Nov 1994 Heineken Australian Open −8 (70-70-70-70=280) 1 stroke   Brett Ogle
5 5 Feb 1995 Heineken Classic −10 (73-66-67-72=278) 1 stroke   Wayne Smith
6 3 Dec 2000 Australian PGA Championship −13 (69-64-72-70=275) 1 stroke   Steven Conran
7 18 Nov 2001
(2002 season)
Australian PGA Championship (2) −15 (65-69-70-69=273) 1 stroke   Geoff Ogilvy
8 7 Dec 2003 MasterCard Masters −11 (67-67-72-71=277) Playoff   Jarrod Moseley,   Craig Parry,
  Adam Scott
9 27 Nov 2005 Australian Open (2) −4 (63-72-72-77=284) 1 stroke   Nick O'Hern,   John Senden,
  Paul Sheehan
10 4 Dec 2005 Cadbury Schweppes Centenary Australian PGA Championship (3) −18 (68-71-64-67=270) 1 stroke   Mathew Goggin
11 11 Dec 2005 MasterCard Masters (2) −17 (67-68-68-68=271) Playoff   Bubba Watson
12 13 Dec 2009 Australian PGA Championship1 (4) −14 (70-68-66-66=270) 4 strokes   John Senden,   Scott Strange

1Co-sanctioned by the OneAsia Tour

PGA Tour of Australasia playoff record (3–1)

No. Year Tournament Opponent(s) Result
1 1993 Optus Players Championship   Wayne Grady Won with birdie on first extra hole
2 2003 MasterCard Masters   Jarrod Moseley,   Craig Parry,
  Adam Scott
Won with birdie on second extra hole
Moseley and Parry eliminated by birdie on first hole
3 2005 MasterCard Masters   Bubba Watson Won with par on first extra hole
4 2011 Australian PGA Championship   Greg Chalmers,   Marcus Fraser Chalmers won with par on first extra hole

Other wins (1)

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No. Date Tournament Winning score Margin of
victory
Runners-up
1 3 Nov 1991 Victorian Open
(as an amateur)
−1 (76-70-66-75=287) 6 strokes   David Armstrong,   Paul Moloney

Results in major championships

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Tournament 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999
Masters Tournament CUT
U.S. Open T33 CUT T46
The Open Championship CUT CUT T60 T15 T56 T10 T19
PGA Championship CUT CUT CUT T49 T13 CUT
Tournament 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009
Masters Tournament 47 T29 T39 CUT CUT T22 CUT T42 T38
U.S. Open CUT T12 CUT T7 CUT T16 CUT T18 CUT
The Open Championship T36 T47 CUT T43 CUT T52 T16 CUT T7 T52
PGA Championship T19 T16 T10 T39 T9 CUT T20 CUT T31 T24
Tournament 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014
Masters Tournament T45 CUT
U.S. Open T29 CUT CUT
The Open Championship T27 T48 CUT
PGA Championship T26 CUT
  Top 10
  Did not play

CUT = missed the half-way cut
"T" = tied

Summary

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Tournament Wins 2nd 3rd Top-5 Top-10 Top-25 Events Cuts made
Masters Tournament 0 0 0 0 0 1 12 7
U.S. Open 0 0 0 0 1 4 15 7
The Open Championship 0 0 0 0 2 5 20 14
PGA Championship 0 0 0 0 2 7 18 11
Totals 0 0 0 0 5 17 65 39
  • Most consecutive cuts made – 7 (2000 Open Championship – 2002 U.S. Open)
  • Longest streak of top-10s – 1 (five times)

Results in The Players Championship

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Tournament 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999
The Players Championship 73 CUT CUT
Tournament 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009
The Players Championship T53 T21 T11 T4 T33 CUT T38 CUT T42 T14
Tournament 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015
The Players Championship 2 T50 T61 CUT T56
  Top 10
  Did not play

CUT = missed the halfway cut
"T" indicates a tie for a place

Results in World Golf Championships

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Tournament 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012
Match Play R32 R64 R16 R32 QF R32 R64 R64 R64 R32 R64
Championship T25 NT1 T31 T21 T54 T26 T3 T20 T28 T11 T15
Invitational T12 T23 T2 T6 T9 T22 81 T20 T2 T48 69
Champions T23 T21 T56

1Cancelled due to 9/11

  Top 10
  Did not play

QF, R16, R32, R64 = Round in which player lost in match play
"T" = tied
NT = No Tournament
Note that the HSBC Champions did not become a WGC event until 2009.

Results in senior major championships

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Tournament 2021 2022
The Tradition 62
Senior PGA Championship CUT
U.S. Senior Open CUT
Senior Players Championship 76
The Senior Open Championship T64 CUT
  Did not play

CUT = missed the halfway cut
"T" indicates a tie for a place

Team appearances

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Amateur

Professional

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Week 19 2010 Ending 9 May 2010" (pdf). OWGR. Retrieved 25 September 2019.
  2. ^ "Robert Allenby – Ranking Graph". OWGR. Retrieved 28 July 2014.
  3. ^ Stone, Peter (14 December 2009). "Pretty in pink: Allenby goes back to back to end his year of heartbreak on a high". The Sydney Morning Herald.
  4. ^ "John Huh wins in eight-hole playoff". ESPN. Associated Press. 26 February 2012.
  5. ^ "Couples: Kim was 'not out any night'". ESPN. 14 October 2009.
  6. ^ Read, Brent (29 November 2011). "Robert Allenby, Geoff Ogilvy almost come to blows over Presidents Cup performance". The Australian.
  7. ^ Lavner, Ryan (23 July 2015). "Allenby, caddie split after mid-round blow-up". Golf Channel. Retrieved 24 July 2015.
  8. ^ Auclair, TJ (24 July 2015). "Allenby's ex-caddie refutes Canadian Open firing story". PGA of America. Retrieved 24 July 2015.
  9. ^ Stinson, Scott (24 July 2015). "Robert Allenby fires caddie, replaces him with Ontario principal from gallery during Canadian Open". National Post.
  10. ^ Porter, Kyle (26 July 2015). "Another caddie says Robert Allenby told 'a whole lot of porky pies [lies]'". CBS Sports. Retrieved 28 July 2015.
  11. ^ "Biography of Robert Allenby". Archived from the original on 5 August 2014. Retrieved 28 July 2014.
  12. ^ "Robert Allenby profile". PGA Tour. Retrieved 28 July 2014.
  13. ^ "Robert Allenby". Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet. Retrieved 31 December 2012.
  14. ^ "Golfer Robert Allenby 'didn't think he would survive' Hawaii attack". The Guardian. 18 January 2015.
  15. ^ "Golfer Robert Allenby survives Hawaii 'kidnap'". BBC News. 18 January 2015.
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