 Robert Allenby © Gallo Images
With his playoff rival Henrik Stenson having pushed his second shot way right when the pair played the 18th for a third sudden-death shootout, Allenby put the tournament virtually beyond doubt when he hit his second to five feet.
The Australian said: “When Henrik hit it right I thought, ‘This is it. If you want to win here and now you have to hit a good shot.’ It was a perfect yardage to rip a six-iron as hard as I could and just go straight at it.
“I was in the perfect spot on the fairway and I felt really relaxed over it. I put a beautiful swing on it; it was just perfect. You couldn’t have put it in a better spot.”
When Stenson failed to hole his putt for a four, Allenby had two putts from close range to become the tournament’s first Australian winner, and he had no scares despite using both of them.
The playoff represented a second chance for Allenby, who, like Stenson, bogeyed the last hole of regulation to relinquish his lead.
“I tried to get a bit too cute with my five-iron at the last regulation hole,” said Allenby, who was unable to get up and down at the 72nd. “The wind took it right more than I thought it would. It wasn’t a bad spot to be in but it just wasn’t a great lie and it’s so tricky to chip out of that stuff…especially when you’re shaking like a leaf!
“Then with the putt I was focussing too much on the line and not the speed. All week my speed’s been a little bit short and on that putt I needed to think about the speed not the line. I got caught up in the line and left it short.”
That mistake put Allenby into the playoff, but he was always favourite for that given that he’s won 11 out of 12 playoffs in his career.
“I’m not sure why I’m good at them, maybe I’m just lucky! But the way I look at a playoff is that it’s a second chance and I’ve got nothing to lose.”
The win was Allenby’s first since he won three events at home in 2005, and he said it was a relief to do it at Sun City.
“I’m so relieved and excited to be back in the winner’s circle, and I’m glad to do it here in South Africa. With only a 12-man field this is such an exciting week to come to, and we’ve been treated like kings all the way.” | 
