Allenby's historic day at Huntingdale
IN: News | Australasian PGA | MasterCard Masters (2005) | Wrap | by Bruce Young | 11 Dec 2005
Day Four Photo Gallery - MasterCard Masters 2005
Robert Allenby has created a place for himself in Australian golfing history by taking out the three traditional events on the professional golfing calendar in the one season. His first hole playoff win over American Bubba Watson in today's final round of the MasterCard Masters leaves him atop the Australasian Tour money list but perhaps more importantly is the significant achievement of winning the Australian Open, the Australian PGA and the MasterCard Masters in the one season.
Unfortunately for Allenby, just as was the case with Peter Lonard last year, he is ineligible for Order of Merit honours due to not having played the required number of events this season (minimum of four).
Huntingdale presented itself in ideal conditions for the final day with the greens firm enough to worry the players from the rough but still receptive from the fairways. Blue skies and gentle breezes made the already impressive day even more so and at 1.10pm the leading pair of O'Hern and Allenby headed out on what promised to be one of the most intriguing days in Australian tournament golf for quite some time.
O'Hern was looking to finally get rid of the tag of being a non winner and Allenby was looking to complete a never before achieved treble in Australian golf of the Open, the PGA and the Masters in the one season. O'Hern is the higher ranked player of the two but with sixteen tournament victories world wide to his credit, Allenby had a much better record as a closer.
If Allenby wanted to make a statement early his wish was granted when he holed from three metres at the first for birdie and he was within two. At the par four second hole, both O'Hern and Allenby were long with their approaches, the firmer greens catching them a little unaware so early in the round. They both were able to salvage par however.
At the third, both players made par although Allenby had to do so from the bunker. The difference was still two.
At the fourth Allenby missed the fairway left and surprisingly O'Hern found the trees. O'Hern found a way to manoeuvre through the trees to the very edge of the green and he chipped to just over a metre and holed it for par. Allenby missed the green left but not by far and made par. Still the difference was two.
Ahead of the last group John Senden had birdied the first to move to twelve under while Bubba Watson made two bogeys in the first three holes to slip to ten under and six back of the leader.
Further ahead Peter' O'Malley finally got things going on the final day when he moved to five under for the day and eight under for the tournament through thirteen holes and he had moved into the top five at that point.
New Zealander Gareth Paddison who has struggled with his game for much of the year made a good start when he birdied the first second and fourth holes to move to eight under before he was derailed with a double bogey at the first of the two consecutive par fives on the front nine. He immediately birdied the seventh to move to seven under again.
The youngster Jason Day, who turned eighteen just a month ago, moved to four under for the day and seven under for the tournament when he birdied the thirteenth and fourteenth holes. Day had moved one shot ahead of English amateur Oliver Fisher at that stage in the race for amateur honours. Fisher was already finished for the day with a brilliant 66 and awaited his fate as Jason Day completed his round. Day bogeyed the seventeenth hole to slip back to join Fisher as the leading amateur at six under.
Back to the leaders and both made par at the fifth and as they headed to the consecutive par fives there was a still a difference of two. Both made pars at the first of those but at the seventh hole O'Hern again missed a fairway when he found the bunker and when Allenby found the fairway with an excellent tee shot the advantage was his. O'Hern had no option other than to lay up and Allenby, with a fairway wood, had an edge when he found the green. O'Hern pitched reasonably close but was unable to hole the putt and the difference was just one when Allenby made birdie.
Both players parred the eighth hole but at the ninth, after Allenby had found the trees and struggled for his par, O'Hern holed from four metres for his birdie and the margin was two as they made the turn.
Both O'Hern and Allenby birdied the par five tenth but at the eleventh the leader found the trap with his approach and although he recovered well he missed from two metres and the margin was now just one over Allenby and the American Bubba Watson, who had reeled off five birdies in six hole to recover from two bogeys in the first three holes to be within one of the leader after having started four behind. John Senden was just out of touch at thirteen under.
At the par three 12th both O'Hern and Allenby missed the green. O'Hern was faced with an awkward stance in the bunker but with his ball outside and he did well but his little chip finished five metres from the hole. When both missed their par putts, O'Hern still had the lead but he now shared it with Watson. Watson's great length proved helpful at the par five 14th when he birdied there to move to 17 under and he led on his own.
Both Allenby and O'Hern parred the dangerous thirteenth but at the par five fourteenth, Allenby would hole a fifteen metre eagle putt to join Watson in the lead. A minute or two later O'Hern was able to complete a two putt birdie himself at the fourteenth to share the lead with Allenby and Watson at seventeen under. What had for so long appeared to be a two horse race suddenly became three. At the sixteenth, Watson hit his short iron approach to a metre and when he had holed that he was ahead by one as both Allenby and O'Hern parred the fifteenth.
Watson missed the green at the seventeenth, in fact he was four metres short, and when he missed his par saving putt he had fallen one behind Allenby. Allenby was left with his tee shot at the sixteenth but he was only in the light rough and when he pitched to five metres he had a chance to take the lead on his own following Watson's bogey ahead. He could not.
O'Hern found the trees right at the sixteenth and had a restricted backswing and all he could do was run it into the front bunkers which he did. From there he recovered to three metres but was unable to hole that. At that point Watson and Allenby led by one over O'Hern.
Watson pulled his drive at the last but so long is he that it flew all the trouble and he had a relatively straight forward pitch to the front right flag. He hit a magnificent shot that flew right at the flag but it did not grab when it pitched and it trickled over the edge of the green. Watson managed to get up and down to save par when holing a two metre putt
Back on the seventeenth O'Hern was again right from the tee and in what was essentially a repeat of his shot there yesterday, he was forced to shape his ball around the threes ahead. He came up short and then pitched to three metres from where he missed and the bogey essentially would mean that O'Hern's chance was gone.
Allenby had hit the right half of the fairway at the seventeenth but missed the green with his approach. He pitched to just over a metre and holed it for par and now it was down to he and Watson to decide the winner.
At the last Allenby drove it down the right edge of the fairway and was left with a difficult angle if he wanted to get it close. His second was pulled a little and found the middle of the green. His putt never looked a chance and he and Watson were tied at 17 under. O'Hern made a two putt par to finish two behind the playoff but you could cut the atmosphere and the sympathy for him surrounding the eighteenth green with a knife.
O'Hern asked Kathy Shearer, the Media Centre co-ordinator, for her understanding in him not coming into face the music in the press centre. He was unable to front the media to explain what had been one of his most demanding days. Who could blame him? He was constantly asked in the days prior as to his chances of finally winning and was candid and dignified in his response. He was not keen to go through it again when he was at his most vulnerable. He is a class act and many felt the pain with him.
At the first playoff hole both Allenby and Watson drove it well from the tee but Watson was the longest by some thirty metres. Allenby's approach was just left of the flag but a little long and he faced a nine metre putt. Watson's approach was on a much better line and would finish five metres directly beyond the hole. Allenby, fully aware of this green, could not afford to be too bold with his putt and ran it down adjacent to the hole.
Now it was Watson's turn to end it but he had clearly not learnt from the speed that was in Allenby's putt. He ran it three feet past and seemed to take no time with the return. When he missed, Robert Allenby was the champion and for the first time a golfer had won all three of Australia's major titles in the one season. Not only was it in the one season, it was in a three week stretch.
Watson said later that he was wanting to finish it on the first playoff hole and was going for the putt.
"This was the biggest tournament of my career and the most excitement in my life so to some extent it was a case of no matter what, I was going to come first or second and win the biggest cheque in my life. It was hard to get back up for the playoff as I had experienced so much excitement coming down the stretch."
Clearly there was a little inexperience showing there. When asked what he could take out of this event he said that he now knows he can hang in over the closing nine holes of an event when in contention in a big tournament.
"I was so nervous early on and after the dropped shots at the second and third I tried to put everything out of my mind including the crowd who were yelling and screaming and just stay positive."
Watson now heads for the USPGA Tour where his first event is likely to be the Hawaiian Open in mid January.
Allenby would be the man on this day however. "I've never felt so nervous on a golf course," he would say later. "With all the hype coming into this week I really felt it more than I have at any other time, especially because I was playing so well. When I made that eagle putt at the 14th though, I really felt I was in control of the tournament."
"My task now is to get myself right from a health point of view and rest up and then I know if I can play like I am at the moment then I can win at Augusta."
Other performances with merit behind the leading contenders were those of the youngsters Bradley Iles and Jason Day. New Zealander Iles followed up his good showing at the PGA last week with a brilliant week for one of his limited experience. He finished in a share of sixth with Peter Lonard and ahead of such golfing dignitaries as Stuart Appleby and Peter O'Malley to name but a few. Jason Day was again the leading amateur as he was last year although he had to share that honour with English amateur Oliver Fisher who produced a last round of 66.
The talk of Australian golf right now however is Robert Allenby and his simply stunning achievement.
Photo - Anthony Powter
