Robert Allenby, one of the most dominant forces in Australian golf at the turn of the century, has been added to a prestigious list of the state’s most famous names with his induction into the Victorian Golf Hall of Fame.
Allenby will be officially honored at the Victorian Golf Industry Awards on Thursday night at Southern Golf Club, a venue fittingly located less than 20 kilometers from where his journey began at East Malvern Golf Club.
A Career Defined by Dominance
A four-time winner on both the PGA TOUR and the DP World Tour, Allenby was an early graduate of the Victorian Institute of Sport. His arrival on the scene was signaled by a stunning performance: he won the 1991 Victorian Open as an amateur by a remarkable seven shots. “I still regard that as probably my best victory ever around the world,” Allenby said of the win. A month later, he narrowly missed out on the Australian Open title at The Royal Melbourne Golf Club.
He cemented his status quickly, earning both PGA Tour of Australasia Player of the Year and Rookie of the Year honors in 1992, and claiming his first Australian Open victory in 1994 at Royal Sydney Golf Club.
However, the five-year stretch beginning in 2000 truly established Allenby as an Australian golf great. This run included three wins at the Australian PGA Championship, two at the Australian Masters, and a second Australian Open title. His 2005 victory at the Australian Open was part of a historic ‘Triple Crown’, winning three consecutive weeks. His global career ultimately yielded a dozen wins across the world.
Reflecting on a Victorian Start
Reflecting on his elevation to the Hall of Fame, Allenby recalled the formative days of his career, beginning with East Malvern and progressing through pennant matches and Victorian and Australian amateur teams.
He fondly remembered his competitive amateur days: “I still remember the days when Box Hill were playing Kingston Heath and the Langford-Jones guys were all there… I was only maybe 15 or 16 when all that happened.” He also recounted winning the Victorian Junior at Kew Golf Club and helping Yarra Yarra Golf Club ascend from Division 2 to Division 1, noting that his progression “just sort of led from there and I just really kept getting better and better.”
A key influence during this period was the world No. 1, Greg Norman. When Allenby turned pro, he made a point of absorbing as much as he could from the game’s best. “Anyone that was better than me, I always looked at them and dissected everything that they did,” he explained.
“When I first got the chance to play with Greg Norman, he was world No.1 so I really got into his head and asked him a lot of different questions,” Allenby added. “I learned a lot from him and he knows that, over the years, we’ve built up a great relationship. Greg Norman was a huge influence on my golf.”
Allenby now joins a distinguished list of professionals in the Victorian Golf Hall of Fame, including Peter Thomson (2011), David Graham (2013), and Margie Masters (2013). Notably, his coach for over two decades since he was 14, Steve Bann, was inducted last year.
SOURCE: Golf Australia
