Robert Allenby: "I never lied to anyone"

Australian launches staunch defence of original account as doubts increase

Robert Allenby
Robert Allenby ahead of the Waste Management Phoenix Open
(Image credit: Getty Images)

Robert Allenby has once again declared himself the victim as his original account of his Hawaii ordeal becomes shrouded in yet more controversy

Robert Allenby has once again declared himself the victim as his original account of his Hawaii ordeal becomes shrouded in yet more controversy.

The 43-year-old maintains he was kidnapped from a wine bar, robbed and dumped in a car park six miles away following a missed cut at the Sony Open in Hawaii.

But, since then, eye-witness reports have surfaced stating Allenby was unconscious on the pavement shortly after leaving the Amuse Wine Bar with two men and a woman he claims not to recognise.

This occured after he'd been separated from the caddy and friend he'd originally gone out with.

According to a Golf Channel report, the Australian was then seen at a strip-club about a mile from the wine bar, where he and his 'friends' racked up a $3,400 bill.

Then, about 1am, he wound up on the same pavement and was described by two homeless men, who'd also seen him the first time, as 'beyond drunk' and 'totally blitz'.

The two men claim they witnessed Allenby stumble, fall and hit his head on a rock.

Sticking to his guns

But Allenby moved to clear his name ahead of the Waste Managament Phoenix Open, even though he admits there's a two-and-a-half hour period where he has no memory.

"There's definitely been a lot of confusion, but I think the number one thing you should all remember is that my story stays exactly the same as the way I told it," he said.

"I told you what I knew, and I told you what someone told me. I never lied to anyone.

"From about 11.06 pm to about 1.13am, I have no memory in my brain, I have nothing.

"I can't tell you how frustrating that is because we all want to know the truth, we all want to get to the bottom of it.

"There's no way in the world what I drank could do what was done to me, not a chance in the world."

While there does seem to be some evidence to bolster Allenby's story - the three unknown people he left the wine bar with, for example - it's hard to accept as absolute when he can't remember anything from a significant portion of the evening.

I'd also like to know what happened to the caddy and friend he'd gone out for dinner with after they became separated, and why they didn't look for Allenby?

What's more, he clearly didn't wake up in a car park six miles away - as per his original account - and nothing has surfaced about the car he was purportedly thrown from.

And, where is the military man from the first story who helped Allenby back to his hotel?

But, as Allenby says: "There's an investigation going on to what did happen on that Friday night.

"The authorities are doing their absolute best. We're hoping in the near future that something will be reported, and that we will definitely get to the bottom of it."

Whilst there's a lot of conjecture and interpretation surrounding what actually happened, without concrete evidence of robbery and assault, and with record of payments made from Allenby's card in a strip-club, it seems his original account has more than one hole in it.

Nick Bonfield
Content Editor

Nick Bonfield joined Golf Monthly in 2012 after graduating from Exeter University and earning an NCTJ-accredited journalism diploma from News Associates in Wimbledon. He is responsible for managing production of the magazine, sub-editing, commissioning and feature writing. Most of his online work is opinion-based and typically centres around the Majors and significant events in the global golfing calendar. Nick has been an avid golf fan since the age of ten and became obsessed with the professional game after watching Mike Weir and Shaun Micheel win The Masters and PGA Championship respectively in 2003. In his time with Golf Monthly, he's interviewed the likes of Rory McIlroy, Justin Rose, Jose Maria Olazabal, Henrik Stenson, Padraig Harrington, Lee Westwood and Billy Horschel and has ghost-written columns for Westwood, Wayne Riley, Matthew Southgate, Chris Wood and Eddie Pepperell. Nick is a 12-handicap golfer and his favourite courses include Old Head, Sunningdale New, Penha Longha, Valderrama and Bearwood Lakes. If you have a feature pitch for Nick, please email nick.bonfield@futurenet.com with 'Pitch' in the subject line. Nick is currently playing: Driver: TaylorMade M1 Fairway wood: TaylorMade RBZ Stage 2 Hybrid: Ping Crossover Irons (4-9): Nike Vapor Speed Wedges: Cleveland CBX Full Face, 56˚, Titleist Vokey SM4, 60˚ Putter: testing in progress! Ball: TaylorMade TP5x