Golfer Robert Allenby to tell his story on Tuesday
Media demand for the Waste Management Phoenix Open got another boost with the announcement that Robert Allenby will hold a news conference Tuesday morning to discuss a bizarre story of violent crime he told police on Jan. 16 in Honolulu.
The PGA Tour pro from Australia told police that he was kidnapped, robbed, beaten and thrown from the trunk of a car, suffering serious facial injuries, after leaving a wine bar that night.
But his tale has begun to unravel as police and media outlets have interviewed witnesses, and authorities are not investigating assault or kidnapping allegations. Police have launched a robbery investigation, with Allenby claiming that more than $20,000 in purchases has been charged to his credit card.
The incident allegedly happened several hours after Allenby missed the cut in the Sony Open, and he withdrew from last week's Humana Challenge. He is in the field for this week's event at TPC Scottsdale.
Media reports Monday said that Allenby had spent about two hours at an adult entertainment club after leaving the wine bar and had run up a tab of more than $3,000.
Allenby and his caddie, Mick Middlemo, now say they are convinced that he was drugged by other patrons, which caused him to pass out.
"You can't go from being perfect to being in the position I was in," Allenby told Golf Channel. "If I was drunk, why didn't I ever wake up? It doesn't make sense."
Phoenix Open media director Rob Myers said he received numerous requests Monday for credentials from Australian news outlets when it was announced that Allenby would meet with reporters.
With Tiger Woods making his season debut this week and the Super Bowl in the Valley, media interest is at an all-time high for this event.
Myers said 805 credentials had been issued as of Monday morning, eclipsing the previous high of 550. A second media facility has been added and media space this year has been expanded by about 1,600 square feet.
John Davis contributes to azcentral.com, a Gannett property.