The Grill: Robert Allenby
Robert Allenby is an unhappy man. His trip back home has been marred by claims of crowd abuse during the Australian Masters. The Serve gets to the heart of the matter.
So Robert, what happened in that third round of the Australian Masters?
A bunch of fans, well oiled, decided to abuse me. So I asked them to keep it down and be nice, but they wouldn’t listen.
The sort of behaviour that doesn’t belong in the galleries….
Exactly. It belongs firmly within the ropes, when I duff a shot and slaughter the caddy and blame him for my stuff up, loud enough for everyone to hear and leaving him wanting to crawl under a rock.
You see, abuse should be left to the professionals.
When it comes to abuse, you’re one of the best out there.
Well, I don’t like to boast.
C’mon, don’t be modest. You could be number one.
Nah, look I’m not going to talk myself up. Top three, maybe. Colin Montgomerie is still the king. His tirades are setting the benchmark for all of us.
You say the trouble at Huntingdale on Saturday started at the 12th green.
It sure did.
But the records show you were already having a bad day. In fact, you were one-over through the first twelve holes after missing a series of birdie putts, then went even par from the 13th onwards.
Here we go. The tall poppy syndrome. You must be an Australian reporter. Are you saying you condone crowd abuse?
Um, no. But I am saying claims that you were ‘rattled’ after the 12th might be a touch askew.
How do you know I wouldn’t fired six straight birdies if the idiots in the crowd didn’t abuse me?
I’d take my chances. Anyway, let’s move on. You’ve said you might consider not coming back home.
Look, this new wave of fans is worrying me.
A bit over the top?
No, it’s just the idea that fans are actually coming to watch me. I’m not used to it, frankly.
Another complaint you have about the Australian media is the lack of recognition of player’s successes since the glory days of Greg Norman.
We are doing some great things out there, yet it’s not good enough. Ever. All the Aussie guys feel it. In my case, I just never felt I got the plaudits I deserved when I won prestigious events like the Marconi Pennsylvania Classic. Huge win. It’s not everyday you beat a guy like Rocco Mediate, but all they wanted to do back home was go on and on about the football grand finals coming up that week.
See what I mean?
Sure. Does it get on your nerves when people confuse you with Stuart Appleby?
Nah I’m fine with being mistaken for Apples. Not sure how he deals with being mistaken for me, though.
Robert Allenby, thanks for your time.…
and with the confusion people forget I’ve never been in contention for a major, despite being a top-ranked player for a good fifteen years.
Interview may not have actually happened.
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