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THE HONDA CLASSICMarch 4, 2009Robert AllenbyPALM BEACH GARDENS, FLORIDA DOUG MILNE: You had obviously a good finish last year, a T-4, obviously the course suits your game. Just a couple comments on, I guess you played nine holes this morning. Just a few comments on how found the course to be and how your game is setting up as you head into the week. ROBERT ALLENBY: Yeah, this is obviously very local for me. I mean, living five or ten minutes down the road, it's kind of nice. Yeah, I've come close the last couple of years. Lost by a shot the year before last, and T-4 last year. It's all there. I mean, it's the type of golf course that suits me really well. You've got to be a good ball-striker, and just comes down to you really are just making the putts. Greens can be a little bit tricky. I think this year they will be a little bit trickier because they are going to be pretty fast. So speed is going to play a big key. But the golf course is in perfect shape. Looks fantastic. I got out there yesterday morning early and played the back nine, and I played the front nine this morning. Looks great. I mean, you know, they have done a good job. Looks like it's going to be a great week. DOUG MILNE: What's the difference, the dynamic of when you are playing at home versus living out of a hotel? Obviously I'm sure you get more ticket requests from friends, family, that kind of thing. ROBERT ALLENBY: Yeah, at the moment, it only up to 50 tickets. So doing quite well. But you know, whenever you get the chance to stay in your own bed, it's always a great feeling. You know, you can go to bed at night in your own bed and wake up in your own bed and then just drive to the tournament; it's nice. You know, I get to be with my kids. I take them to school in the morning, and sometimes pick them up in the afternoon, depending on the tee times, as well. But you know, that's the other thing; I get to spend a lot more time with my family. It's nice. I always invite a few players, a few friends over to stay for the week, so we have got probably five people staying at the house. So you know, it's nice. We are kind of entertaining every night. It can get -- it can be a long week, as well, but if you make the most of it, and that's what we do, we enjoy it and we make the most of it. It's a good opportunity when you live where the tournament is to host some of your sponsors. So that's what I'm doing tonight. I'm going to be barbecuing for Srixon and Cleveland and TaylorMade and those guys, which should be good. It's just nice waking up, it's more relaxing just being at home, than opposed to being in a hotel every week. Q. Even though it's great to be in your own bed and you love the entertaining, how do you do the balance to make sure that you're probably prepared and focused for this tournament when you're doing all of the other things that you wouldn't be doing if you're staying in a hotel? ROBERT ALLENBY: I just cut my limit down to about two bottles of red a night. (Laughter). It's pretty easy. Just being at home is relaxing, first of all. But you know, obviously there are a few more distractions than in a normal week. But I enjoy it. This is going to be a fun week for me, because a lot of my friends from where I live and around the area will come out and watch me play, and you know, I have a lot of support here this week, which I don't normally -- it's a different support than what I get most weeks. So it's kind of fun. I want to play well for them, and I want to play well for myself. So to me, it's just a lot more relaxing week than a normal tournament. And funny enough, when it is like that, you do play a lot better. You know, that's probably why I've played so well here the last couple of years. But also, it's the type of golf course that we play on, as well. It's one that I love a lot, and it suits a good ball-striker, which I think I fit into that category. Q. Will it be shrimp on the barbie tonight? ROBERT ALLENBY: It won't be lamb, none of that New Zealand stuff. I didn't get time to get the kangaroo in, but it will be some good old-fashioned steaks tonight. We have some Australian VB and Crown Lagers, courtesy of my dear friends at the Australian Embassy in Washington. Q. Victoria Bitter? ROBERT ALLENBY: Victoria Bitter, yeah. We call it Vitamin B in Australia. Q. What's going on in Australia, the Australian fires? ROBERT ALLENBY: A lot of that with the fires, they are still going. There are still 30 fires still going in Melbourne. And that's where I'm from. That's where Stuart Appleby is from. He's a lot closer to that. He's probably the other side of those fires, and I'm the other side. So he's got the north side and I'm the south side. It's just a complete devastation. It's the biggest devastation that's ever hit Australia. You know, we are getting pretty close to 300 lives have been taken. Between a million and two million animals have been fried. It's just horrific, really. Q. Any other players have suffered losses? ROBERT ALLENBY: I've known quite a few of the people that have lost their lives. The fires were traveling over 120 miles an hour, so people couldn't drive quick enough to get out of their way. You know, the fires were just going straight over the top of them and just blowing up cars. It's mean, it's devastating. But you know, Australia is obviously a large mass of country, but a small population. Australia has really come together and raised a lot of money for relief and I think they have done really well with what they have done so far. But yeah, it's terrible to see; two or three towns, completely wiped off the map, gone. Probably take another 15 or 20 years to rebuild them. Q. You've had a chance, I'm sure, at the Bear's Club to spend some time with Ernie. How have you seen his acclimation to moving down here, and does he seem settled in and comfortable with the way everything is? ROBERT ALLENBY: Yeah, I think so. I think one of the most important things for him was the weather. You know, living in England, around Christmastime and that, even through the beginning of the year, practicing over there is pretty tough. You're always in thermals and wet weather gear and stuff like that; whereas here, really, you only get about two days of cold weather, probably a month, really, here, and we just had them yesterday and today. But normally the weather here is pretty awesome. It just allows you to be able to practice a lot more, and that's what Ernie has found. He's found he can practice a lot more living at the Bear's Club. He can just get in his golf cart and he's on the first tee or the driving range within minutes. I think it's a great spot for him. I know he said he loves it and he's really enjoying living down here. His family have definitely settled in. My wife's really good friend with Ernie's wife, Liezl; so I think they have settled in nicely. Q. Do you also sense that he's more relaxed with the situation with Ben down here? Even he admits that he was on edge for a while trying to figure out what to do and where to go with Ben's situation. Do you sense a relaxation? ROBERT ALLENBY: I think they have found a good school for him, a good tutoring. I think, you know, their daughter, Sam, she's at a good school, and Ben is at a good place, as well. I think that was obviously his main concern was to make sure that the kids were settled and happy. So that's why I think they have settled in pretty good and pretty quickly, because they have got the personal side of their lives sorted, which is important. It's the most important part. Q. I don't know how big of a Greg Norman fan you were growing up, but what was your reaction to him being back in the Masters? ROBERT ALLENBY: Yeah, I think it's good. Obviously he played fantastic at the British Open last year. That's what enabled him to get a start at the Masters this year. I was a massive fan of Greg Norman growing up. I was definitely -- growing up, he was our idol. And you know, I guess being Australian and being No. 1 for ten years, he was the man that we wanted to try and emulate. But you know, I think it's great that he's back this year, you know, getting a start in the Masters. I think if anyone ever deserves to win a Masters, it's Greg Norman. There's no doubt about it. And that would be a fairy tale, that's for sure, if he went out there this year and won it at the age of, I think he's 53. But you know, it will be nice to see him there, and obviously good luck to him. Q. Did he influence you becoming a pro golfer? ROBERT ALLENBY: Well, I used to follow him around as a kid. I wouldn't say that it was because of him that I turned pro. It was because of myself, because I was good enough to be able to turn pro. Really it was just my father that taught me how to play. He was the one that kept telling me that I'm good enough, if I want to do it. So, that's what I did. That's why I turned pro. My father kept telling me that I was good enough. Q. When you're out there in the round, are there points where your mind goes back -- ROBERT ALLENBY: Well, obviously I never stop thinking about my mom. It's been nearly a month since she passed away. You know, I think about her all the time. I definitely -- L.A., when I got myself to the lead, it was like, come on, let's just keep it going here. I think last year, I tried so hard to try and win for her while she was alive, and just forced it a little bit. But since she's passed away, it's been a little bit tough. My concentration hasn't been there. L.A. was my first tournament back. I was actually quite surprised to see Saturday after 11 holes that I was leading with Freddie Couples, who I was playing with. Especially being seven shots behind after day one, and then all of a sudden, I'm on Saturday after nine, I'm like, geez, I'm leading the tournament. So it's sort of -- you know, I lost a bit of concentration there once I did get to the lead. But that's all part of it and that's all part of learning to accept and deal with the situation that is there. I had a couple of bad moments in Tucson last week where I just sort of missed not talking to her. And that sort of threw me off the first round a little bit; I just wasn't myself. But you know, I'm okay when I'm around family and friends and when I've got support around me, but if I'm out on my own, that makes it a little bit tough at the moment. It's still a little bit new. But that's why I say, this week will be a great week because I'll have a lot of support. And I've got my dad coming over in three weeks, starting the week of Bay Hill. And he'll be here for probably three months. So he'll be at all of the tournaments that I go to, and my weeks off, we'll play golf together, go fishing, probably do a lot more fishing than golf. But yeah, it's not an easy thing, especially when you love someone as much as your mom. Q. Is there one bit of advice from your mom related to golf? ROBERT ALLENBY: She told me at the end of last year, at the Australian Masters, where I broke down a lot, I was leading the tournament there and I knew I was close. It was the final round of the Australian Masters, and that was the only day that she was able to come out, even though that she was really sick. And I just knew she was coming out to about the 15th and come out for the last four holes, and I could see her coming down in the golf cart and I'm about to tee off, and just hit a fat 6-iron into the front trap. I left the first one in -- hit the first shot out of the trap, out of the bunker, on to the green and rolled around off this tier into the next bunker, and then left dunked it in there twice, two more times, got it out, and then once I got it out, I broke down. I just let everything get to me. I had that tournament right in the bag and I let that one go. But when I walked off the next tee after hitting it straight down the middle of the fairway, walk off to where my mom was, gave her a hug, and she said to me that "it doesn't matter what you do, just do your best. And whether it's good or bad, all you can do is your best." And you know, I would say that's all what we are striving to do in life is just to do our best and accept what the outcome is, and whether it's good or bad, just accept it. She's always, always was -- I knew you would ask me a question like that. Even as a kid, she was always positive, and with my upbringing, whatever I did, whether it was cricket or football or golf, she always just said, "Just do your best. That's all you can do." You know, she just had a lot of belief in my ability with anything that I did, but with golf, my mom and dad were just so supportive, but never pushed me once, not once. And I think that's what -- we have seen a lot of young kids be pushed over the years, but my parents never pushed me once. They said, just do it if you love it; otherwise, it not a problem. It's fine. You can do whatever you want. You know, I believed that I could be a great player in golf and I could be a winner, and, you know, it's all because my mom and dad believed in me and just gave me the confidence in my ability. Q. Back to the Masters, a couple of things. No Aussie has ever won; how big of a deal would it be down under for you or Geoff or anybody to break through? And related to that, Geoff's form in the last couple of months, does he figure to be one of the short list of favorites? ROBERT ALLENBY: Definitely. I would definitely put Geoff -- right now, I would put Geoff No. 1 out of any other player in the world. You know, one thing that I've noticed over the last sort of 10,11, 12 years that I've played at Augusta, your short game has to be impeccable. It has to be the best for the week. If you look back and look at every single player that's ever won Augusta, their short game was unbelievable. You take someone like Zach Johnson that never went for one par 5 in two, he laid up on every par 5, and won Augusta. You know, a lot of people say, oh, you have to play the par 5s really well and you have to play them aggressive. As I said, he laid up on every single one, but I think he made more birdies on the par 5s than anyone else. So his short game was so good. Even Trev last year, his short game was unbelievable, because even on Sunday, he made so many pressure putts. We have seen Tiger win there a few times, and Faldo; their short game was just unbelievable. And I think that's what it comes down to is, yeah, sure, you've got to hit the ball great. But your short game, someone like a Mike Weir, he's got an unbelievable chipping action and a great putter, so that's what it comes down to there. That's why I say Geoff Ogilvy is the odds-on favorite. And with the confidence that he's got from the start of the year so far, it can only make him hot favorite. Yeah, sure, Tiger is always going to be a favorite, but I would put Geoff Ogilvy in front of Tiger. If Geoff controls his nerves and his feelings at that tournament, there's no reason why he shouldn't win. Q. And so down under, what would it be like? ROBERT ALLENBY: Massive. I think that would be massive. You know, it was big when he won the U.S. Open, but we've had winners of the U.S. Open. But no Australian has ever won the U.S. Masters. So that would be massive. That would be just absolutely massive. To be the first Australian to win that tournament would be -- yeah, it would be huge. Q. Obviously what Geoff did last week was center-stage, and also Tiger coming back was big, a lot of people were talking about Rory McIlroy as well; have you seen him or what impressions do you have of him? ROBERT ALLENBY: At Carnoustie, the British Open a couple of years ago, I played the last six holes with him and Darren Clarke. They cut across from the front nine and we played the last sort of maybe five holes. And very, very impressive, even back then. Beautiful swing, just a great temperament. Obviously now, he's a little bit older and he's a lot better. Just playing fantastic at the moment. Definitely one of the superstars of the future. You know, it's amazing that right now, there's some young guns coming up, with Danny Lee who will be playing Augusta this year, and the Japanese guy, as well, Ishikawa. For their ages, they are doing fantastic. But Rory, he's got a great talent, and he's playing this week, too, isn't he. He is here. Yeah, I think he's going to be fantastic for the tournament this week. He'll be definitely one of the favorites to win for sure, with the way he's been playing. DOUG MILNE: Robert, we appreciate your time and best of luck this week. End of FastScripts |
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