Allenby - I'm doing it for Mum

Allenby with his mother Sylvia at the Australian Masters

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Robert Allenby goes in search of a fourth Australian PGA Championship this week, hoping to be able to dedicate victory to his terminally ill mother.

The 37-year-old came close to pulling out of the tournament at Hyatt Regency Coolum on the Sunshine Coast in Queensland, but had a change of heart after talking to mother Sylvia who has been diagnosed with lung and kidney cancer.

Allenby has claimed the PGA crown in 2000, 2001 and 2005, but admits capturing the title this year would have added resonance.

"I didn't think I was ready, mentally and emotionally, to play this week," he explained. "I said to mum on Tuesday morning when we were having breakfast before I flew up here that I was happy to stay at home.

"I told mum 'I'm happy to stay home with you if you want. I don't have to go play. You're more important than golf, tell me what you would like me to do'.

"She said 'I'd like you to go up there and win the tournament - but if you don't win, don't worry about it, it's not the end of the world and I will still love you after it'.

"It's a pretty tough time for all of us. We're a close family, I'm the youngest of four and we've never had to go through this before. We know what's going to happen."

Emotional

Allenby was in contention at last week's Australian Masters at Huntingdale GC until a late double-bogey when he went bunker to bunker at the 15th hole having spotted his mother watching from a golf cart.

He managed to compose himself sufficiently to sink a 20-foot putt to limit the damage to two dropped shots, but concedes he is finding it tough to keep his emotions in check on the course at present.

"I couldn't even see the hole. I couldn't see the line or anything," he said of that double-bogey putt.

"I said to my caddy Colin, 'I need the towel, I can't see'. My glasses had tears all over the lens as well and I said to my caddy 'don't worry it will be right, I'll just guess where it is'.

"The ball sat on the lip for a few seconds and then fell in. I guess it was fate, I guess it was meant to happen."