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WGC CA CHAMPIONSHIP

March 22, 2007

Robert Allenby

DORAL, FLORIDA

NELSON SILVERIO: Robert, thanks for coming for a couple of minutes. 67 today, we were talking about how nasty it was out there. Why don't you expand on that a little bit.
ROBERT ALLENBY: Yeah, it was just one of those days where I knew from the very start of the day that, you know, I just have to play within myself and just try and keep in control of the ball.
You know, when it's blowing 20, 25 miles an hour in your face or whatever, it's hard to control it. I did that very well. I just tried to hit three-quarter shots pretty much most of the way in and really stay in control with the shots that I hit. Just, you know, try to keep them under the wind and not really allow the wind to affect them too much.

Q. I know it's an odd question, but how much does wind affect putting?
ROBERT ALLENBY: A lot. Because when it's blowing this strong, it's hard to walk in it, let alone try and stay still in it. And then putting is such a fine movement, it's very hard when the wind is gusting like that to really stay still and keep focus. You know, you've only got to move ever so slightly, and the putter face is going to come through either open or closed. I mean, we're talking millimeters, so that means you have to stay dead still. And that's the toughest part of playing in the wind, is trying to stay still over it. You know, whether it's a 3-footer or a 40-footer, it's hard. You've really got to plant yourself in and just pick a line and hit it.

Q. Do you change your stance to wide in the wind?
ROBERT ALLENBY: Yeah, I widen my stance a little bit and feel like I really plant my feet into the ground.
You try and -- it's the same when you're hitting shots in that wind, as well. You really are concentrating on keeping a quiet lower half of your body and whether you're hitting shots or whether you're putting or chipping, it's just important when you're playing in winds that strong.

Q. You came close at Honda. How frustrating was that week afterward, and what did that week do for you?
ROBERT ALLENBY: You know what, it really wasn't that frustrating. I bogeyed 15 and 16 to end up losing by a shot. But we walked off 15, and I was like -- I wasn't that disappointed. Obviously I should have made that 6-, 7-footer that I had for par, but that was just the way it is. And then we got put on the clock and I rushed my 4-iron into the green.
You know, I hit good shots the last few holes, the last couple of holes. But you know, I'm close, I'm very close and it's something that you can't force. All you can do is just go out there and play and if you have a chance to win, you do it or you don't. I've got my attitude set where all I can do is just go there and play and just try and make it as simple as possible for myself.
My turn will come this year. It's just a matter of time. It might be this week, it might be Augusta, who knows. It might be TPC, who knows. But I like the way I'm playing, I like the way I'm hitting it, and that's all I can do, is just take one day at a time and we'll see what happens.

Q. Did you find the greens a little trickier to read with the resurfacing at all?
ROBERT ALLENBY: Well, I live up in Jupiter at Admiral's Cove, and they seemed pretty good to me. I made my fair share. I don't complain.
I think the greens are nice. They are rolling pretty good. If they were any faster, I think the ball will start rolling off the greens in wind like this. I think they are pretty good right now.

Q. How is your preparation for the Masters? Do you think you're ready?
ROBERT ALLENBY: Yeah, I'm hitting all the shots. I feel like I can hit any shot at any time.
I think Augusta, apart from the previous years, I've hit the ball pretty good, but I just haven't made the putts. You know, that's -- to me that was always the hardest thing to adjust to was we don't play any tournaments leading into Augusta that have the same type of grass or same speed and same slope. So that was always -- that was probably the hardest thing to adjust to, is the speed of those greens.
Hitting shots is the easiest part. I can hit any shot at any given time. But the putting is always -- that's tricky there. You might have a 3-foot putt that might have a foot-and-a-half break. So speed is so important, and pretty much that's probably the only thing that's really let me down there.

Q. Does this course prepare you in any way?
ROBERT ALLENBY: No, not a chance.

Q. What about when you played TPC in the old cycle, did that prepare you any better?
ROBERT ALLENBY: No, that's a totally different type of golf course.
Nothing, there's nothing that we play that is similar to Augusta. So it's just a matter of, you know, mentally just getting prepared before, prior to it, and find some really fast, slopey greens to go putt on. And we don't play any courses like that leading into Augusta.
I'm not saying it's a bad thing, so don't get me wrong. I'm not saying it's a bad thing. There's no negative there. It just is what it is.

Q. Was Atlanta close at all?
ROBERT ALLENBY: Atlanta was probably the closest, yeah, but still, the speed was not quite the same. But Atlanta was probably the closest tournament that we had that would be similar to Augusta.

Q. Sorry, I walked in a little bit late if you already answered this, but what was the international nature of the TOUR like when you first started coming over here, how has it changed and how do you feel about that?
ROBERT ALLENBY: You mean like how many internationals are on this TOUR?

Q. Did you feel you were one of the few out here and now it's completely changed?
ROBERT ALLENBY: It's definitely changing every year. You know, we see a few come on, we see a few go off, so it's sort of staying around that 20 mark, I guess -- I'm talking about Australians.
But yeah, I mean, when I first turned pro, everyone told me to go to Europe. So I went to Europe. I played in Europe for seven years. But I had the best time of my life. I wouldn't have changed anything. That was awesome. Geez, going to Paris and Italy and just all over France, Germany, that's the best experience that you could possibly give yourself as a young kid. You learn to travel, you learn -- you're going into a different country every week. You've got to get your passport out every week. Over here, I mean, you nearly need your passport to come here, but it's close to it. Miami's -- you know, they should have a border in between. (Laughter) I went out to dinner last night with my wife because it was her birthday down in South Beach, and you know, it's just so different down there. You come into the airport here and I don't even understand what they are saying, the dialogue.
But there's a lot of Europeans, South Africans, Argentines, Australians. This TOUR is getting better and better every year and we play for some unbelievable purses. I come from Australia where our biggest tournament is about one and a half Australian; so 1.2 million U.S. We're very fortunate. I know all of the Australians are very appreciative of the way the TOUR is over here and we're lucky to be here and to be able to play here.

Q. Do you come for the money?
ROBERT ALLENBY: Well, my kids go to school here. I see my whole life being -- staying in America. I really probably don't see myself going back, my wife, myself and my kids going back to Australia. Unless something happened overnight to me and I couldn't play golf again, maybe. But again, I love where I live and my kids go to a great school and I see them growing up here. You know, their education is going to be here. So they might marry here; why should we go back to Australia? We'll stay here and live. It's a great country.

Q. When you play in a tournament like this, do you play at all differently because there's no cut, the best players are playing; do you have a different mind-set or do you just try to go and play your best golf every day?
ROBERT ALLENBY: I try and play the best I can, but yeah, it's great playing in tournaments that has the world's best, the best -- Top-50 in the world I think it is. Yeah, absolutely. I mean, it's a great tournament to be in. But at the same time, I don't treat it any different to a normal tournament.
I go into every tournament trying to win, I try and play my hardest and whatever the outcome is, it is.

Q. The wind is what everybody seems to be talking about with the conditions, but with the rain, did that affect play, mud on the ball, anything like that?
ROBERT ALLENBY: Yeah, the rain has definitely affected the fairways a bit. The ball is not running anywhere, picking up a little bit of mud. If anything, it made the greens a little bit easier, because yesterday when I played, the greens were really firm and it was pretty tricky. Whereas today, the greens really made it -- if there was any part that was easy, it was hitting some shots into the greens because you knew they would stop pretty quick because of the rain that we have had.
But still not -- still not easy, but easier than yesterday.

Q. And is that always kind of a tradeoff when you get wind and rain, the wind makes the shots more difficult or maybe the rain makes the greens --
ROBERT ALLENBY: The rain always softens up the greens. It always helps the approach shots into the greens to stop a little quicker.

Q. Will you play next week?
ROBERT ALLENBY: No, I'm not playing next week. I'm playing the Tavistock Cup Monday, Tuesday.

Q. Will you go to Augusta?
ROBERT ALLENBY: I'll have a couple of days off. No, I probably won't go up until Monday night.

Q. From what you're saying, to prepare for Augusta, you have to go there and practice putting.
ROBERT ALLENBY: Yeah, but you can do it in your head in if you go in too early. If I went there early, that's all you think about is Augusta, so mentally you don't prepare for it properly. It's a long enough week and a tough week as it is, and I think the earlier you get there, the more there is to think about, you know. Why treat it different to a normal tournament.
NELSON SILVERIO: Thank you, Robert.

End of FastScripts

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