Date: November 20, 2007
Author: Bren O'Brien

Allenby gunning for third masters

A fit and fired-up Robert Allenby is ready to take on Huntingdale this week, and he is confident he can secure his third Gold Jacket in five years when the first event of the Australian summer tees off on Thursday. Allenby won the MasterCard Masters in 2003 and 2005, and omens aside, said he was confident he could put a poor finish to his 2007 US Tour behind him and challenge for the lead down the final few holes on Sunday. “Obviously you have to play well. There are 150-odd playing. I feel good. I&aposm hitting the ball nicely. My whole golf game feels good,” he said. “I have been hitting balls for the last couple of weeks back home in America, I feel good, fit and ready.” Fit would appear to be the key element of that last statement. He admitted feeling lethargic early in the year in the US and has undertaken a rigorous campaign to ensure his 36-year-old body can cope with the realities of tour life. “My fitness is the best it&aposs ever been for the last 20 years. I feel great. I feel great mentally. I&aposm loving life. I&aposm happy to be here. It does not matter how I have been playing for the past few weeks. It is a different theme for me here, to get my game up and play well,” he said. “Physically I am as strong as I&aposve ever been. I have been working out for the past 10 weeks since the Tour Championship in America. I&aposve hit the gym pretty hard. I have some pretty good goals for next year and I am going to achieve them.” Allenby&aposs positive attitude was similar two years ago when he arrived back home and swept the major Australian events in a stunning hat-trick. It&aposs a stark contrast from earlier in the year when he found he was exhausted by April after a hectic beginning to the 2007 US Tour. “I am going to keep a close eye on my schedule for next year. The problem this year with the FedEx Cup is that there are so many big tournaments in a row. I felt like I had played 15 majors in a row this year. That&aposs tough. It is hard enough just playing one,” he said. “By the time I got to Augusta I was worn out. Next year I will make some changes.” Change is something a seasoned pro like Allenby is not afraid of. Over the past 12 months he has undergone a major change in his swing as he bids to iron out the kinks in his game and avoid injury. “I have been working hard on my swing, trying to make some changes. I have been doing that since this time last year. It&aposs tough. It&aposs hard to make swing changes and play golf at the same time in tournaments. I feel like I have it pretty close now,” he said. Seventy-two holes on one of the world&aposs toughest golf courses should provide a reasonable guide to where Allenby is at. He will take a two-week break after this week, returning for the MFS Australian Open at Royal Sydney.