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Allenby
to block out Shark and go with the flow, by Martin
Blake - 8th April 2004
(Credit:
The Sydney Morning Herald)
Greg Norman bestrode Australian golf for 20 years
and in his semi-retirement, he is still casting an
enormous shadow.
So
big, that Robert Allenby believes most of today's
crop of top players have felt the pressure of trying
to replace him and let it get to them. It may explain,
says Allenby, why none of them has won a major championship.
On
the eve of another Masters, Allenby is contemplating
his poor record at Augusta and has taken a different
tack. Like his compatriot and friend Stuart Appleby,
who has an even worse record here, Allenby is trying
to relax and go with the flow. He says there is "no
doubt" the Australians have been trying too hard
to break the historical drought on this hallowed Georgia
ground; to erase some of the pain of Norman's trauma
here, and to become the first antipodean to win a
Masters.
"You
know what? I think a lot of Australians feel that,"
said Allenby, one of seven Australians teeing up at
Augusta this week. "We've had Norman and we've
come through and he's been and gone, so to speak.
There's a lot of pressure on us to try to win a major,
and there's already enough pressure as it is. If anyone
else's putting pressure on you, it makes that pretty
hard."
Allenby,
32, comes into the Masters with poor form by his high
standards, his best result this season a fourth at
the Honda Classic. In four previous starts at the
Masters, his best is 29th. Having split from longtime
coach Steve Bann last year, he is not working with
a swing doctor, for he doesn't feel the need; he spends
more time with his personal trainer trying to get
fit enough and flexible enough. But with his right-to-left
shape, his length off the tee and his feel for fast
greens, there is no logical reason he could not contend
at the weekend.
He
is expecting a tough week, for he has never seen Augusta's
greens running so quickly before the tournament. Unless
it rains, he predicts, there will be mayhem.
"If
it stays like it is maybe five under might win. I
could be completely wrong, but I can only see this
place getting tougher, and it's only Tuesday,"
Allenby said.
Links:
Official
websites
PGA
Tour / Golfweb
Masters
Golf Tournament
Shark.com
Official website of Greg Norman and Great White Shark
Enterprises
Official
World Golf Ranking
Other
Encyclopedia.com
- Greg Norman profiles
Articles
The
Great Aussie Promoters, by Greg Tingle
The
Great Yankee Promoters, by Greg Tingle
Mediaman links
Sport
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