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Robert Allenby returns to Hawaii a year after alleged kidnapping incident
Most travel to Hawaii for vacation, as an escape from everyday life. Robert Allenby, however, is afforded no such luxury.
For it was here, during the 2015 Sony Open, that Allenby got caught in a terrifying, and unusual, event.
After missing the Sony cut, the Australian golfer journeyed to a bar with his caddie. From there, Allenby alleged he was drugged, kidnapped and robbed. He posted a photo to Facebook illustrating injuries to his face. A month later, the police arrested a man for using Allenby’s credit cards.
However, the story's legitimacy came into question. The Golf Channel reported Allenby was seen at a strip club during the time of the incident (a piece the police refuted). Allenby's former caddie said the tale was a downright lie.
Not helping Allenby was a public dustup with his looper at the RBC Canadian Open, an affair which also had two distinct tales.
As these were far from the first controversial moments of the 44-year-old's career, Allenby went from a victim to laughingstock.
So why would Allenby return to Honolulu and risk further scrutiny?
“I’ve always enjoyed coming here, and part of me just wanted to face it on the chin,” Allenby told the AP. “I didn’t want people to think that I wouldn’t come back.”
Allenby seems to be aware of his issues, and recently started seeking treatment. He's intent on not letting last year's events define him.
“I’ve got so many great memories here that I wasn’t going to let one bad one interrupt it,” Allenby continued. “I also thought for my own well-being that maybe I could come here and face it and put some closure on what happened last year.”