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VOLVO WORLD MATCH PLAY CHAMPIONSHIPOctober 30, 2009Robert AllenbyCASARES, SPAIN GORDON SIMPSON: Well, excellent playing, Robert. I think right saying you're the only undefeated player left in the field and you're in the semifinals, semi against Anthony tomorrow. How is the health standing up and how are the feet standing up, more to the point. ROBERT ALLENBY: They are fine. Yeah, my body feels great. My legs are fine. Obviously when you come down towards the end of this golf course, even after the first round, you know, your legs are starting to fatigue a little bit. But you know, I feel really good. Obviously if you're winning, you feel even better. So you can overcome the soreness in the legs. I've played well the last three rounds, and I hope I can keep the form going for the weekend. GORDON SIMPSON: You'd have seen this tournament a lot being played on The European Tour, how nice is it to be so close to the final? ROBERT ALLENBY: Yeah, it's nice. Obviously I've always -- this week so far, I've just taken it one match at a time and just tried to beat the opponent that I'm playing, and I've done a good job of that so far. I have an opportunity tomorrow to try and advance a little bit further. It doesn't matter who you go up against in this tournament; everyone is a tough gig. So you've just got to play your best golf and hopefully it's good enough. So far, it has been. Q. Are you looking forward to playing Kim again after The Presidents Cup? ROBERT ALLENBY: Yeah, I think it will be good. I mean, obviously he kicked my ass there. You know, he's a great player ask he's obviously playing well. I did see he lost today. Scotty Strange is a very consistent player. You know, every day, every match is different. So tomorrow is a new day. Presidents Cup is a few weeks ago, and so it's just focus on what I've got to do tomorrow and that's pretty much it at the moment. Q. That match, was it him playing exceptionally well or you had a real off-day? ROBERT ALLENBY: I didn't play very well there at The Presidents Cup. I was battling with the flu for the whole week, and just probably a bit of fatigue, as well. That came into the account towards the end of that. But he definitely played very well, there's no doubt about that. Q. Have you guys actually spoken since Presidents Cup? ROBERT ALLENBY: Yes. Q. Anything to say about it? You had an amicable discussion? ROBERT ALLENBY: Yeah. It's all said and done. So there's no. Q. Can I just ask, did you seek him out or did he seek you out or how did that happen? ROBERT ALLENBY: No, I called him. Q. Telephone or in person? ROBERT ALLENBY: Telephone, because I wasn't playing Vegas and he was. So I was at home. But made the phone call, and it's all sorted. Q. You said afterwards, "Maybe we should all get home at four o'clock and then go shoot 6-under." So is that your plan tonight? ROBERT ALLENBY: Well, you know what, I wasn't actually the one that said four o'clock. It was a reporter that suggested that and that's where it all got taken out of context. But, you know, what we say and what other things it are done is a different thing. I've been around for 18 years in this game, and I've said a lot of things and regretted a lot of things. A lot of things have been written that haven't come out the right way. So you know, that whole incident, it is what it is, and I've apologised for the way it's come out, and you know, it's a dead issue in both Anthony and my books. As I said, he's a great young golfer; he's the next, you know, maybe Tiger Woods. So I have nothing bad to say about him and I'm really looking forward to our match tomorrow. I think it's going to be fantastic. I just hope I play well and keep playing the way I'm playing. Q. Sorry to belabor the point, did you say that he's the next John Daly, or is that something -- ROBERT ALLENBY: It's all over, mate. It's done. I'm not answering any more questions about it, because I don't know if you read the press release, but you can find that somewhere and you can go with that and write whatever you want. As far as Anthony and I, I don't have any -- I'm not answering any more questions about it, because we have come to an agreement, and we are happy with where we are. I understand that you're going to bring it up and it's not a problem, but I really don't have any answers from this moment on about it. In our lives, it's over and done with, and it is what it is. Q. Excuse me if I missed this, but have you met face-to-face and shook hands and shaken hands and spoken? ROBERT ALLENBY: It's none of your business. GORDON SIMPSON: You'll get the transcript. Q. Your season so far, Robert, how would you sum it up? ROBERT ALLENBY: It's been a bit up-and-down. It's been one of those years. I've had times where I played really well and I've had times where I played pretty poorly. You know, it's one of those things. When you lose your mother in the same year, it's a pretty hard thing to battle. But this week's been a great week for me because I've got my father overall the way from Australia, so he's been with me last week in Valencia and then here this week. So we're having a good time, having a lot of fun, and just enjoying the moment and just been happy together. You know, so far this week's been a really good week. I mean, even if I don't play well tomorrow or the next day or whatever it may be, I've still had a great week. I've still played really well. And I don't see my game just falling off the planet overnight. But you know, golf is golf. I've seen funnier things happen. But I'm looking forward to a nice day tomorrow, that's for sure. Q. I may have got this wrong, Robert, but is your father born in Yorkshire? ROBERT ALLENBY: Leeds. And I was born in Australia. (Laughter) But he backs for Australia now in cricket. I converted him. Q. Well, he is Yorkshire? ROBERT ALLENBY: Well, 35 years in England and 45 years in Australia. He's now an Aussie, even though he talks funny. Q. I was going to ask a similar question to that, but also, your putting's not been the best in the past and you've always been known as a ball-striker and short game but your putting seems to are turned around in the last couple of months; is that right? ROBERT ALLENBY: That's right. I just changed my grip. Vijay Singh gave me something to try. My putting was just inconsistent and I just wanted to try and make it a little bit more consistent. That's all we are ever looking for is just trying to make it the best it can be. The first week out that I tried it for 72 holes was the British Open this year. It's kind of like a Claw with the right hand, but I don't know what it is, it's like a pen sell grip, I guess, I don't know. It takes any anxiety out. Obviously it's working. The second week I tried it was Bridgestone where I finished second. So I made a bunch of putts from about ten feet on the last there to finish second. So, you know, it's been good. I putted well in The Presidents Cup, and it's worked really well for me. So hopefully it will just keep going a little bit further. Q. Have you made a decision on next year European Tour; you rejoined this year, will you stay a Member next year? ROBERT ALLENBY: Absolutely. I wished I had played a few more tournaments probably in the middle of the year, maybe around Wentworth time. But you know, it was tough. This year, I was pushing it to make my 12 this year, and purely because I missed out on a lot of tournaments early in America. And that sort of -- with Mum passing away late January, that sort of made it -- last thing I wanted to do was play golf, that's for sure. So you know, this year sort of changed a little bit. But I'm very happy that I've made the numbers up, and looking forward to next week and then it Dubai, as well. But I think next year, I'm hoping to play like 15 events next year. That's my goal is to play 15, and you know, we'll see how we go from there. Q. What's the difference between the PGA TOUR and The European Tour? What attracts you to come back? ROBERT ALLENBY: Probably about 25,000 more spectators. I'd say the fields are pretty much the same. You know, everyone on The European Tour can play just as good as everyone on the U.S. Tour. A lot of people think there's a difference, but at the end of the day, there really isn't. Different types of style of golf. America is very much just tee it high and hit it as far as you can. Whereas your longer courses in Europe are more -- you've got to hit the draws and you've got to hit the fades off the tee, and then you've got to work your irons. There's a lot more courses here where you can bump-and-run it. It's just a completely different style of golf. And for me, playing last week, and then here this week, it's just been an absolute pleasure to play these sort of courses compared to America. I've really enjoyed last week, a lot, to get me ready for this week. So I think it's really helped a lot. Q. Is your dad going back to his roots on this trip after all, after this? ROBERT ALLENBY: He's already been. He's been to Leeds. He's had some Yorkshire puds and some mush peas, and probably had them both together knowing him. My father has one sister left in the U.K. in Leeds, and so he went back and saw her. He has two sisters in Melbourne where he lives. So there's four of them left out of 12. He's the only male that's made it over 70, and he's now 80. So he's fit as a fiddle and apart from a dodgy hip, he's doing well. Q. What's his name? ROBERT ALLENBY: Don. Q. And does your playoff record help you in match play when you're in certain situations, that you can draw on that? ROBERT ALLENBY: Yeah, I think so, especially towards the end of any match. You know, I've had a couple of tight matches the last couple of days. Obviously the first day was pretty tight. I'm sort two of up with two to play, and then Martin makes birdie at 17; you want to win, you don't want to halve. And then yesterday, I'm 1-up -- or yesterday afternoon, sorry, I'm 1-up with one to play with Sergio, and you hit an average second shot and got a really bad lie in the bunker. So I was unable to make my birdie. And then he made birdie. So I finished up square. And then I knew that I had to win today. There was no doubt about it. So you know, I just had that in my mind. I had to go out there and win and that was it. I'm happy I got the job done. Q. Can I ask you just about the format, are you a fan of the Round Robin format compared to the knock out? ROBERT ALLENBY: I think this is a great format. I think this is the fairest way to play it. I think the greatest thing is you've got every player here until Friday night. Whereas in the past, you lose, you go home. And there's other times where some player has got a bye in the first round; that doesn't seem fair, just because you're higher-ranked, you get a buffer. I believe this is the fairest way to do it. It doesn't matter who you play in your group. Whether I've got Lee Westwood or Jeev Milkha Singh or Stenson or Sergio or Martin Kaymer. It just doesn't matter who you play. But just to actually have the chance to play three matches is a great way to do it, it really is. Q. Did you think you were in the water on three and four today? You were right on the edge on 3? ROBERT ALLENBY: No, I had plenty of club into 3. Q. And it went around the bank? I didn't see it. I just saw where it finished. ROBERT ALLENBY: Yeah, I was just trying to hit a little sort of a straight shot, little cut up against the wind with a 3-wood. It was probably a 5-wood yardage but I didn't want to work it right-to-left. I was trying to work it left-to-right with the breeze. And I was just aiming at the sort of middle left of the green. I'm only three feet away from perfect. And that's where I was aiming. I hit it plenty hard enough to get over. I mean, I had a lot of club in my hand. And then 4, past days, it's been a 3-wood. I why hit driver yesterday with Sergio in the afternoon. And then today, driver was plenty of club there. And the good thing is the green is kind of soft, so it's just go ahead and hit a shot into the middle of the green and that's pretty much it. GORDON SIMPSON: Thank you. End of FastScripts |
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