What they said: Robert Allenby

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SONY OPEN AT HAWAII: Transcript archive

MARK WILLIAMS: Robert Allenby, thanks for joining us. 5-under 65 in the opening round. It looks like you are presently one of about five or six leading. A nice little stretch there with four birdies in the middle, closed with a couple of birdies, just talk us through your round, talk a little bit about it; you obviously had a good end of season with a couple of victories overseas.

ROBERT ALLENBY: Yes, which bit do you want to know first?

MARK WILLIAMS: Just talk about today.

Q. Do it quickly.

ROBERT ALLENBY: Okay, I will do it very quickly. It was good, played well, thanks. (Laughter.) I think, you know, obviously I twisted my ankle on Monday, the walking part hasn't been too flesh. But all of the swelling has gone down which is good, but I'm just very, very gun shy when I have any lopsided lie or anything like that. I'm obviously favoring my left side, that's what happened on the last hole. I only had a 6-iron into the green, trying to hit a cut, I couldn't get off my left side. There was only one place it was going to go and that was left. My short game is good, you know. But I putted really well. My putting was the best part of the day. I did hit some good shots but my putting was good. It's the same as I left off last year. And last year was -- I don't know if you want to know about that, but the end of last year was a good way to finish the year with a couple of wins. It was good.

Q. 16 of 18 greens today, your ankle is not giving you too much of a problem?

ROBERT ALLENBY: Did I? I've got a sore back now, because I'm modifying my swing because it's all top half. Now I got a sore right side. Obviously you got to compensate for certain things. There are certain shots that feel a lot easier and then there are certain shots that are really, really hard to hit, like a fade. I can't go up on my right toe when I follow through because I'm scared I'm going to put pressure on it and I do feel it. It's easy to stay back and hit like a little sling draw. But anyway, I've been managing my way around the golf course, and not expecting too much, just trying to hit as many fairways and an as many greens as I can. I know I'm putting well, so it's just a matter of putting myself within range of trying to make a few putts.

Q. How did you hurt your ankle?

ROBERT ALLENBY: I twisted it right out front, went for a walk Monday morning with my wife and that lasted about 3 minutes.

Q. Out in front of the hotel?

ROBERT ALLENBY: Right in front of the crosswalk there. Where we cross over, I was on this side, and the red thing on the curb goes around, in the middle of the footpath and it ends, I just went straight over the top of it.

Q. You are the only afternoon 65, did you look at those morning scores?

ROBERT ALLENBY: Yes, I saw that 5-under was leading. They are off in the morning. Yes, it wasn't easy. In the middle stage there it got really windy, really windy. We are hitting 4-irons into 4. You know that's playing pretty breezy when you are doing that. Hitting 4-iron there. Normally it's a 6-iron.

Q. Why didn't you just withdraw, did you think about it?

ROBERT ALLENBY: I've come too far. It's a long way from Florida and the weather is better here too. To bloody cold back there.

MARK WILLIAMS: Do you think if this course was more undulating you may have withdrawn?

ROBERT ALLENBY: I think if I was at Kapalua I wouldn't be able to play. There is a lot of slide slopes there. If it was that type of golf course. It's purely because there is a lot of slopes around that course and it's a long walk, too. But here it's dead flat, I couldn't have asked for an easier course to play really walking-wise, not hitting-wise.

Q. Do you find yourself doing more because you're trying to do less?

ROBERT ALLENBY: Pretty much, definitely.

Q. Why don't you guys do that more often?

ROBERT ALLENBY: Because we're psychos.

(Laughter.)

Q. That's keeping it short, no need to elaborate. So do you ice it?

ROBERT ALLENBY: Yes, I'm going right now to the ice machine and the steam with the physio guy. I've been icing it every night. It's been very, very romantic for my wife and myself. I'm laying there in the bed with ice on my foot elevated.

MARK WILLIAMS: Have you had it strapped each day since you've done it?

ROBERT ALLENBY: Yes, she's strapped. I wouldn't be able to play if I wasn't strapped. But it helps the circulation as well. It helps get the swelling down.

Q. Could it get bad enough where you could just say --

ROBERT ALLENBY: I'm too scared to roll it this way. I'm just being very cautious even when I walk down hills or up hills side, I'm very, very careful. It's like learning to walk all over again.

Q. Where does your back hurt now?

ROBERT ALLENBY: Right in here, it's all upper half, trying to keep my lower half as quiet as possible. Just twinging, but I will get a little bit of a rub.

Q. What was the other win last year, Sun City?

ROBERT ALLENBY: Sun City and Australia PGA back-to-back.

Q. The one you weren't going to play?

ROBERT ALLENBY: That's it. It was a good move. I thank Vijay for pulling out so I got the sponsor's invite.

Q. Is that how it happened?

ROBERT ALLENBY: In Australia you have to enter for each tournament two weeks out and I was only a week. I was less than a week. It was on a Wednesday prior. Anyway, because of Vijay's pulling out one become available. They did give it away to someone else at Tour school, an Aussie guy, but they got it back because he couldn't make it.

Q. What was your best birdie?

ROBERT ALLENBY: My best birdie. I don't know, they're all good, all 7 of them.