Robert Allenby is confident he can shrug aside indifferent performances on the PGA Tour and repeat his history-making triple-crown effort in Australia this season. Allenby last year became the first player to win all Australian majors in one season and despite not doing as well as he would have hoped in America this year, he believes he has what it takes to wrap up the trifecta again. “I&aposm a firm believer in if I&aposve done it once, I can do it again,” Allenby said. “I always thought that I actually had the ability to win those three tournaments in the one year and in three weeks in a row.” “It&aposs just the confidence that I have in myself but it&aposs been hiding for a long time.” The 35-year-old admitted he didn&apost follow up his historic Australian feat with a blinding season in the US. From 22 starts Allenby had just three top 10 finishes – fourth at the Bay Hill Invitational in March, ninth at the Booz Allen Classic in June and a share of fourth at the Deutsche Bank Championship in September. But Allenby is in better shape than he was last year and is brimming with confidence ahead of the Australian season. “The results from the last couple of months haven&apost really been there but the game at the moment is good,” he said. “I&aposve kind of been fired up and really looking forward to coming back down here and just trying to find the form I had here last year in Australia.” “The back&aposs great, the back&aposs definitely 100 percent,” he said of the injury that plagued him last year. “I&aposm about 98 percent. I can&apost say I&aposm 100 because I&aposd be lying, but I feel pretty good. I definitely feel a lot better than I was last year so I&aposll just have to find something else to whinge about.” Winning the three tournaments last year was a career-defining moment for Allenby, but it was the final of the trio – the MasterCard Masters – that had the experienced professional a little nervous. “Obviously winning the Australian Open was great and then to go up and win the PGA (Championship in Coolum) was awesome, but at the Masters I felt a lot of pressure down there,” he said. “The 10th hole was my first hole on the Thursday morning and I only had an eight iron into that par-five 10th hole. I hit a good shot that landed on the front and spun off the front edge and I chipped it in for eagle.” “After that I was pretty much fine for the rest of the tournament but I was very nervous going into that tournament trying to win the triple crown.”
Author: David Meddows