Allenby fires caddie during the first round
‘Got right in my face as if he wanted to beat me up’
OAKVILLE, Ont. — The weirdest story of the Canadian Open is unlikely to be topped, even though the tournament is only a day old. That honour goes to Australian Robert Allenby, who chewed out his caddie after he dunked a shot in the water on his fourth hole of the day on his way to a triple bogey. The caddie did not take kindly to the reproach.
“And then he just got right in my face as if he wanted to just beat me up,” Allenby told ScoreGolf’s Jason Logan.
Allenby told him he was fired, and after further heated words at the end of the front nine, the caddie was told to leave. After carrying his bag to the next tee, Allenby used the services of a school principal from Kingston, who offered to caddy the rest of the way.
Allenby, who said he was beaten and mugged in Hawaii in an incident earlier this year that was treated with a considerable degree of skepticism in the local press, shot 81 on Thursday and said he would withdraw.
“This is the worst incident I’ve ever witnessed as a player,” he told ScoreGolf.
“I’ve never been threatened and as he walked away he said, ‘I’ll be waiting for you in the car park.”
It is unknown if the caddie did wait for him in the parking lot. CLUB SELECTION IS TRICKY: Brantford’s David Hearn has seen pro golf at Glen Abbey since he was a kid, and he’s “never seen it play like this,” he said after a 3-under round on Thursday at the Canadian Open.
The firm and fast conditions had players frequently secondguessing club selection and trying to figure out how to keep their ball from rolling off the
slick greens. Hearn’s 69 was good enough to tie him for low Canadian with Surrey’s Adam
Svensson, who normally plays on PGA Tour Canada.
“I’m obviously not too happy with making a bogey on the last one there,” Hearn said, “but I’m still within reach of the leaders. I certainly didn’t play my way out of it.”
Graham DeLaet, the highest-ranked Canadian in the field, shot an even-par 72 and struggled with an injury to his left thumb that was likely a sprain. He had a trainer try to stretch it out, then taped it, and said it affected his ability to swing the club on full shots in particular. But he said he would plan on playing on Friday, and hopefully the rest of the weekend.
Organizers will be happy to hear that, since his face is on large banners all over the course, and he wears the logo of two of the tournament’s major sponsors.