That bit extra...

As soon as the Nedbank Golf Challenge reached a play-off, Henrik Stenson should have known the writing was on the wall...

The Swede found himself facing extra holes at the climax of last weekend's tournament, but his opponent Robert Allenby has the incredible record of having only lost one of his previous 11 play-offs.

True to form, the Australian came through to win the trophy on a third hole which included a wonderful six-iron to no more than six feet to clinch his first win since 2005.

The Golf Night panel were hugely impressed by Allenby's display on the final day, but were left scratching their heads when asked to explain why he was so good at extra holes.

"I don't know what the secret is to play-offs, but he's obviously got it," John Hawksworth said.

"He doesn't mind that situation and I can't think of anybody else who has been as good in play-offs as he has.

"To win 11 out of 12 is quite staggering, but it was a fantastic performance from him because he's not the longest player in the world.

"There were some guys with some serious artillery there this week that could power the golf course.

"He couldn't do that, he had to rely on course management and he got the job done."

Skills

Fellow expert Denis Pugh agreed that it was Allenby's course management skills that had earned him the title.

The Gary Player Country Club in Sun City usually suits big hitters, but Allenby found a way to win and Pugh was pleased to see a nice guy come first.

"I thought this week that Robert just played the game very well," Pugh said.

"He wasn't really on top of his game, but he managed it so well and was able to pick the right shots at the right time.

"I think his caddie would have worked very hard to have kept that game going. Robert's played well, but you wouldn't say he drove it great or putted great - he missed a lot of putts - and didn't chip particularly well.

"But he managed his game and got a score out of it. Then in the play-off he hit probably the best shot he's ever going to hit, that six-iron all over the flag, through the skies with a little bit of left and right fade on it. They're the shots that the pro's love to hit.

"With Robert Allenby, the cliché is he's a really nice guy, but he's the sort of bloke I met 15 years ago and he's always got time to have a little chat.

"He's just one of those guys that you're pleased when he wins."

Good year

The Nedbank Challenge was his first victory of the season, but after six top-five finishes and more than £2.8million in prize money it has been another good year for Allenby.

And Hawksworth reckons there is more to come from him in 2010 when he returns to the European Tour to take part in the Race to Dubai.

He said: "We've got to expect great things from him because he's a world-class player that knows how to win and knows how to win well.

"He's had a very successful season; third place in the World Match Play a couple of weeks ago when he beat Angel Cabrera in the third-place play-off and he played well in Spain at Garcia's tournament just before that.

"He is a world-class player and I think we could see him featuring in the majors more next year."