Allenby’s arm healing ahead of Open

By Andrew Both  www.news.smh.com.au

AAP. Robert Allenby says his injured left forearm is healing nicely and he wants to get more competitive golf under his belt before the British Open in a fortnight.

Robert Allenby says his injured forearm is healing well and he wants to get back to playing golf.

Allenby, Australia’s top-ranked player, had an X-ray after the recent US Open, which revealed nothing more than inflamed tendons just above his wrist.

He still has the afflicted area bandaged, but sounded upbeat on Wednesday on the eve of the AT&T National, formerly hosted by Tiger Woods.

“I only hit balls two or three times last week so I thought I might as well come here and use it as practice,” he said.

“My whole game feels really good but it might be a bit rusty.

“I want to give myself the best opportunity going into the British, so I need to play, because I haven’t played much. I just want to play 72 holes.”

Allenby encountered something he had barely seen all year during his pro-am on the Aronimink course – thick rough.

“They took the scissors to it today but it’s still really thick,” he said, clearly delighted to be at a venue where inferior ball-strikers will be punished more severely than usual.

World No.14 Allenby is the third highest-ranked player at the tournament, behind Woods and Jim Furyk, because most of the other top players are either at the French Open or having the week off.

Woods is the defending champion but no longer the host of a tournament he founded, since his deal with the event sponsor was severed in the wake of revelations of his extra marital affairs late last year.

He will have to straighten out his notoriously wayward driving if he wants to contend this week.

“I don’t think his game is as finely tuned as it was,” Allenby said of Woods.

“I’m sure mentally there are some things on his mind but maybe the closure of divorce might have helped.”

There are 14 Australians in the field, including Jarrod Lyle, who cruelly missed out on playing the US Open when he was first alternate but nobody withdraw.

Lyle was also an alternate at this tournament, but had better luck this time.

Fellow Victorian Marc Leishman is also playing, trying to bounce back after a disappointing missed cut at the US Open.

“I haven’t seen rough this thick ever, which is good, because it rewards good play and punishes bad play,” Leishman said.