After 12 Near-Perfect Holes, Allenby Falters at Doral

After 12 Near-Perfect Holes, Allenby Falters at Doral As the southeast winds howled across the Blue Monster Course at Doral Resort and Spa, a ball-striking clinic was going on at the W.G.C.-CA Championship. The golfer putting on the exhibition was Robert Allenby, the lean Australian who is perhaps the purest hitter on tour.

A topic as subjective as ball striking generates fierce disagreement, because there is no precise measurement for purity of contact between club and ball. But this much is certain: in a wind that gusted up to 25 miles per hour, Allenby played 12 holes of nearly perfect golf, reaching eight under par, including six birdies and an eagle on Thursday afternoon when no one else was lower than three under par over that span.

“It was as good as I can hit it from tee to green,” Allenby, 38, said. The best he has hit the ball in his life? “No. 1,” he replied.

Allenby, who shot a 68 and trails the leader, Charl Schwartzel of South Africa, by one stroke, was adjusting the trajectory of his iron shots, flying balls low into greens at the holes playing into the wind and floating shots beautifully into downwind holes. He missed only two greens during the 12-hole stretch and did not have a putt longer than 8 feet.

He was, in other words, having his way with the Blue Monster under conditions that were exactly like those the original architect, Dick Wilson, envisioned when he laid out the course. The winning score on the course during its first two years as a tour stop in 1962-63 was five under.

What happened next is a lesson in how the Old Blue can still turn as nasty as a cornered pit bull, despite recent evidence to the contrary. Conditions were comparatively benign last year when Phil Mickelson’s winning total was 19-under 269, and winds were calm during Geoff Ogilvy’s rain-delayed 17-under winning score in 2008.

But before looking at his four straight bogeys to finish his round Thursday, an examination of Allenby’s recent form is in order. He missed the cut last week at the Honda Classic, with rounds of 76-72, but has shown tantalizing glimpses of good form this year. He began with a close call at the Sony Open in Hawaii — where he hit almost 80 percent of the greens in regulation — before missing the green with a wedge.

He was in contention at the Farmers Insurance Open before a back-nine blowup on Sunday left him in a tie for ninth. He finished in a tie for eighth two weeks ago in the Phoenix Open. In 2009, he had three finishes in the top five and closed the season with a tie for sixth at the Omega Mission Hills World Cup.

Although Allenby won twice in Australia last year, he has not won in the United States since 2001. Because of his talent, he has at times been branded an underachiever, a charge he does not deny.

Two things turned Allenby’s attention back toward winning in the United States. When he realized that his mother, Sylvia, had cancer, he was determined to win a tournament for her. He came close in November 2008, nearly winning the Australian Masters. She died two months later, before Allenby,wicker basket a four-time PGA Tour winner who has 18 international victories, could win one for her.

Last year Allenby was given a putting lesson by Vijay Singh, who showed him the claw grip he has used with great success.