Tall poppy syndrome flourishing
“In all honesty I’ve felt more welcome here than I do when I go home,” he said. “People have been very excited for me to be here playing.
“I can feel the appreciation from the people around that I’m here playing and I don’t feel that when I’m at home. That’s probably why I came down here this year.”
Tim Clark will be back at the Australian Open to defend his title this year at NSW Golf Club but it is somewhat ironic that Robert Allenby has chosen to tee up at the invitational Sun City Challenge in South Africa, which is held in the same week – missing his first Australian Open in 21 years. Immediately after being abused by the drunks in last year’s event he said:
“That was 20 years straight of the Australian Open and I thought, that’s it. I’m not ever playing another Australian Open again and I’m not playing in Sydney again.
Reports have said he did not choose to bypass the Australian Open due to his outburst about the ‘party hole’ at last years event. That may well be the case with the Sun City Challenge carrying a $US1.2 million winner’s purse compared to the total prize money for the Australian Open of $A1.5 million dollars.
The ‘party hole’ has been scrapped though as reported by Aussie Golfer in August which is probably a good thing. I’m not sure the golf course really is the place heavy drinking. This isn’t some outback tournament, this is the Australian Open.
An Australian heads to South Africa and a South African returns to Australia to play. Despite some evidence to suggest otherwise, I can’t help but think it’s largely due to the tall poppy syndrome us antipodeans do so well.
In my experience, the biggest complainers about drinking and drinkers come from problem drinkers and, more accurately, ex-problem drinkers…
You can never go home…(or whatever)
Yeah I must admit, he was also treated pretty badly by administrators. 20 straight years of Australian Opens and not one word about it.
He’s never been a big drinker ol’ Bob but I’m tending to side with him on this – I’m just not sure we need big drinking on the golf course.
Actually, our country probably needs to model ourselves more on Europe so far as drinking is concerned….but that’s a whole other story.
That being said, Allenby has become a bit erratic lately, especially with the media, probably since the much publicized illness and death of his mother.
Allenby has always been outspoken about golf and golf in Australia, although he has never supported the idea of the party hole, two years ago at the Australian golf course during the Open, he played up to the hole, on one occasion he wore pink fluffy ear muffs! The way he conducted himself despite his reservations was excellent and the crowd enjoyed that, but what happened last year was disgraceful!
Unfortunately, even though the party hole has dissappeared so has Allenby, if not entirely to Australian golf, but definitely to anything being played in Sydney, it’s our loss.
Hopefully, he’ll change his mind in coming years?