Allenby's claw cures Achilles' heel

Long regarded as one of the best ball-strikers in golf, Australian Robert Allenby has a strong feeling this year will be the most successful of his career.

Putting has been his perennial Achilles' heel but his confidence on the greens has surged since switching to an unconventional 'claw' grip midway through last year.

Allenby was the hottest player in golf at the end of last year after winning his final two events, a sizzling run of form that sharpened his appetite for further success in 2010.

"The way I finished 2009 has made things very exciting for me," the 38-year-old said at the San Diego Open on Thursday. "I see this year being my best year ever.

"I have definitely got myself back playing the way I know I can play. It's all down to the putter. If I putt well, then I am going to do really well.

"The majority of the time, I hit the ball pretty consistent and solid," said Allenby, a four-times champion on the PGA Tour and winner of 22 tournaments worldwide.

"It's just the putter that's let me down in the past, and the putter is the thing that's let my down in all the majors. "But I have finally found something that just feels fantastic. I have got a lot of confidence with it and, with the new putting grip, I am just running with it."

The early signs this season have already been promising for Allenby, who won the Australian PGA championship and the Sun City Challenge in South Africa in successive weeks last month.

He finished second at the Sony Open in Hawaii two weeks ago, despite having twisted his right ankle in the tournament build-up, and fired a five-under-par 67 in the San Diego Open first round on Thursday.

PATIENCE, PRESSURE

Although three strokes off the pace at Torrey Pines, he was the only player in the top 15 to play the ultra-long South Course and will relish the scoring opportunities on Friday on the much easier North Course.

"Today was a continuation of where I left off at Sony," Allenby said after compiling five birdies in a bogey-free display.

"As you get older, you get more patient and you realise that it's just not worth getting upset about a missed putt here or a certain shot there. I feel very relaxed and very keen to play some really, really good golf this year."

Former world number one and three-times major winner Ernie Els knows Allenby very well, having played with the Australian on the European Tour in the early nineties.

"He was a good ball-striker back then," South African Els said. "When you're a good ball-striker and you putt for so many birdies because you have so many birdie opportunities, you're going to miss quite a few (putts).

"With Robert hitting the ball so close so many times and feeling like he's not getting it all out of his game, I think that put a lot of pressure on his short game and on his putting. That's been his Achilles' heel.

"But now it seems like he has got a lot more confidence," added Els, who opened with a 70 on the South Course on Thursday.

"Robert Allenby, when he gets his short game going, can play as good as anybody out here.

"He can have the same influence as any of the top players on tournaments. If he keeps his putting up, you'll see him in contention in the majors and winning more golf tournaments."

By Mark Lamport-Stokes, Reuters