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WASTE MANAGEMENT PHOENIX OPEN

January 27, 2015

Robert Allenby

SCOTTSDALE, ARIZONA

THE MODERATOR: Some questions for Robert.

ROBERT ALLENBY: Sure. Obviously we all know why we're here. I think the first thing I want to say is that this is not going to be a long thing. It's going to be pretty short, hopefully pretty sweet. I think the first thing that everybody should understand is there is an investigation going on to what did happen on that Friday night. The authorities are doing their absolute best. We're hoping in the near future that something will be reported and hoping that we will definitely get to the bottom of it. There has definitely been a lot of confusion, but I think the No. 1 thing that you should all remember is that my story stays exactly the same as the way I told it. I told you what I knew, and I told you what someone told me. That's the bottom line. I never lied to anyone. I only told you what I knew and what someone had told me. That is the bottom line. From that, obviously the media have decided that they are the most amazing experts at investigations. There is a reason why detectives in Honolulu are some of the best in the world. I think I'd really appreciate if we just let them do their job and maybe we could get to the bottom of it. But I think also what has been blown out of proportion a little bit is I was a victim, and all of a sudden you're putting all the blame on me. I take full responsibility if I did do something wrong. I have no problem in the world in owning up to if I did do something wrong. But as I said, from about 11:06 to about 1:27 a.m., I have no memory in my brain. I have nothing. I have been trying and overlooking and going backwards and forwards, and there is just nothing. I can't tell you how frustrating that is, because we all want to know the truth. We all want to get to the bottom of it. My headaches have only just gone two days ago. It's like someone stuck a knife in my eye, and, you know, what can I say? It's something that I endured throughout that night, and I appreciate everyone's support that has supported me. I do read comments and do see what everyone has said only because I have a dear family. You know, I think at the end of the day, you know, I was in a place having a nice dinner and having a nice night, and then I became a victim and now, you know, it's all been turned around. I understand the way the media works. I have been around for 25 years as a professional golfer, and I have endured a lot of different comments from the media, but I'm happy to take everything on the chin. I'm a strong-willed character. I've got a great support team. You know, at the end of the day, what's happened has happened. The police will come out with the right story, so please, let them do their job, don't get in the way of them, and everything will be great.

Q. You talk about all you know and what someone told you. Who is the someone you're referring to? Is that the woman?
ROBERT ALLENBY: It is, yes.

Q. What do you make of these latest claims on the timeline that you were at a strip club and spent around 4,000 Australian dollars? Do you have any memory of that happening during that period of time?
ROBERT ALLENBY: As I said, from 11:06 to 1:27 in the morning is a complete blank.

Q. No memory of the strip club?
ROBERT ALLENBY: No memory of that.

Q. There has been speculation you thought maybe you were slipped something in a drink. Do you feel like you drank enough that night that you might have blacked out?
ROBERT ALLENBY: I probably shouldn't answer that question, but I will. There's no way in the world what I drank could do what was done to me, not a chance in the world.

Q. How are you feeling now? You talked about your headaches, your eye. How do you feel going into this tournament?
ROBERT ALLENBY: I'm hitting the ball well (laughter). Physically, apart from a few scratches and that, I'm starting to feel really good. Mentally, I'm preparing myself for probably one of the toughest weeks of my life. It hasn't been an easy week last week, and it wasn't an easy decision to come to this tournament. But I thought that I need to get my life back on track. I'm a professional golfer, and why should I let controversy put me out of the game that I love? The Waste Management is such a great tournament to come to. I love the crowds here. They are very supportive, they are very loud, but you know what? That's what makes this tournament.

Q. What has surprised you the most about the last 10 days?
ROBERT ALLENBY: I realized that I don't have any friends in the media. Maybe one. That's it. That's all I can say on that.

Q. You mentioned your family. What effect did it have on your family?
ROBERT ALLENBY: Obviously my father, all my family are devastated. I think people forget that I have a 13-year-old daughter and a 15-year-old son that love their father very much. You know, a lot obviously has been said, and there is a lot of trash talk out there. I'm okay with that because I've got thick skin. But my kids are still growing. They're still learning. You know, I've tried to guard them, because this is something that should be guarded from them because the truth hasn't really come out. A lot of speculations. There is no proof to anything. So as I said, the detectives are doing the best job possible, and they will get to the bottom of it. Hopefully we will hear something by the end of this week.

Q. Who are the guys that you left the restaurant with?
ROBERT ALLENBY: I don't know. I have never met them in my life. I only saw them on surveillance cameras, and that's it. I don't recall seeing them in there, and I remembered everything up to 10:48, maybe 11:06.

Q. Do you remember them putting you in a car or throwing you in a car?
ROBERT ALLENBY: From 11:06, I have no memory.

Q. Your caddie's recollection, he said you were functioning well and all that sort of stuff.
ROBERT ALLENBY: Yes, 100%. I had another friend there, and I said I was going to the bathroom. And he was waiting for me and I never came back.

Q. Without going into the investigation, how are things coming together?
ROBERT ALLENBY: I have told you everything -- everything I have stated is exactly the same way, and the detectives are doing a fantastic job.

Q. You have obviously been very clear that you're standing by this story that came out at the beginning. Given all of this, do you regret ever fronting the cameras in the beginning? Do you wish you'd just put your cap on and marched out of Hawaii and not told a soul this had even happened?
ROBERT ALLENBY: Obviously, you know, I really -- I probably shouldn't comment on that, because I have always been a person that holds no regrets. As I said before, I take everything on the chin, and if I make a mistake, I apologize and I walk on. I just believe with the concussion that I suffered, what I did was at a time where I didn't even know what my phone number was. How I could get hold of my son was through Facebook. I posted a photo, and now, look, this is where it is. All I did was just try and get my son's phone number to call me.

Q. How did the photo get from your private Facebook account to...
ROBERT ALLENBY: That's a very good question. I have no clue.

Q. Has playing golf this week helped you get back to some normalcy in your life?
ROBERT ALLENBY: Yeah, absolutely. You know, I'm really feeling great the way I'm hitting it and the way I'm feeling now, and, you know, obviously there is a lot going on in my head. I'm not expecting a lot from this week, but I'm just expecting to, in myself, to overcome this ordeal and just try and move on with my life. You know, I love golf, and that's the reason why I'm here. Otherwise I would have taken this week off and maybe the next month off.

Q. Since the incident, have you taken a blood test or a test to see if there are any drugs in your system since it happened?
ROBERT ALLENBY: I have, yes.
FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

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