USA TODAY International Edition
Allenby looking at bright side
Sees site of tough 2012 loss as place to launch revival
Coming off a painfully frustrating season in which neck, elbow and hand injuries caused him to miss 18 of 24 cuts and finish with one top- 10 result, Robert Allenby is looking for anything positive to lift his health, spirits and game.
The perfect place to provide such healing powers would seem to be an idyllic section of southeast Mexico that kisses the Caribbean Sea and features the Greg Norman- designed El Camaleon Golf Club in Playa del Carmen, Mexico, home to this week’s OHL Classic at Mayakoba.
But this golf paradise, winding through a tropical jungle and mangrove swamps while opening up to sand and sea, is a proverbial doubleedged sword for the veteran from Down Under. The last time Allenby, 42, was in these parts, a year ago, his stellar play for 71 holes gave him a two- shot lead. But an errant drive resulting in a double- bogey sent him to extra holes, where he lost an eighthole playoff to John Huh.
“It’s kind of good and bad,” Allenby told USA TODAY Sports about his return visit. “It’s good, because I love the golf course. But there are some bad memories, because ( 2012) didn’t finish the way it was meant to finish. If I had hit the 3- wood off the 72nd hole like I wanted to, things may have been different. But, in saying that, it was entirely my fault for what happened and you have to take full responsibility sometimes, and I do. I just did the wrong thing. Knowing I had a twoshot lead, to mess it up the way I did ... left a stale feeling in my mind. So hopefully the good memories overpower the bad ones.”
He’s also hoping his health issues continue to turn for the better. His winnings totaled $ 204,000 last year, ending Allenby’s streak of finishing inside the top 125 in official money ended at 13 seasons. It also forced him to use a career money exemp- tion as one of the top 25 career money winners on the PGA Tour ( he has won in excess of $ 26.5 million) so he would have full playing privileges in the 2013- 2014 wraparound season.
As the 2013 portion of the new season wraps this week at Mayakoba, Allenby has made one cut and fell
“I’m ready to get my health back, get my confidence back and get my game back.”
Robert Allenby
short of making the cut by one stroke in his two other starts.
“It’s not too bad,” the four- time Tour winner said of his health. “I have a bit of a nerve problem in my right hand stemming from my neck, but I’m getting treatment. It has its moments. ... I’m ready to get my health back, get my confidence back and get my game back.”
Traveling man:
Brian Gay has been up in the air a lot lately. When he finally touches down in his hometown, Orlando, next week, he will have traveled more than 23,000 miles to play four tournaments in four weeks — in Malaysia, China, USA ( Georgia) and Mexico. Gay is the only one to play in all four events.
Ryder Cup:
The influence of the wraparound season can be seen in many places — the FedExCup race, the money list, invitations to the Masters. But while it’s early, the 2013- 2014 season’s impact also is clear in the Ryder Cup standings. The first five winners of the new season have been Americans, and all are in the top seven of the standings for the biennial match- play bout with Europe on Sept. 26- 28 in Scotland. ( The top nine automatically make the team, and captain Tom Watson fills out the squad with his three picks.) Last weekend’s win in the McGladrey Classic vaulted Chris Kirk to No. 7 in the standings. Other winners include No. 6 Jimmy Walker ( Frys. com Open), No. 5 Webb Simp- son ( Shriners Hospitals for Children Open), No. 4 Ryan Moore ( CIMB Classic) and No. 3 Dustin Johnson ( WGC- HSBC Champions). Phil Mickelson and Jason Dufner hold the top two spots, and Jim Furyk is No. 8. Gary Woodland, who lost in a playoff to Moore, is No. 9. In the 10th spot is world No. 1 Tiger Woods, who has not played an official event.
Race to Dubai:
Henrik Stenson is trying for an unprecedented double. The Swede, who is battling a right wrist injury, can become the first to win the FedExCup and the European Tour’s Race to Dubai in the same year at this week’s season- ending DP World Tour Championship at the Jumeirah Golf Estates in Dubai. Stenson, who won the Deutsche Bank Championship and The Tour Championship in the FedExCup playoffs to take the FedExCup title and $ 10 million bonus, must hold off a strong field that includes 2013 U. S. Open champion Justin Rose, Graham McDowell, Ian Poulter, Lee Westwood and Rory McIlroy.