Allenby Survives Attack in Hawaii


PGA Tour veteran Robert Allenby was kidnapped, beaten and robbed after becoming separated from companions at a wine bar in Honolulu. The 43-year-old, who was in Hawaii for this past weekend's Sony Open, suffered severe lacerations and contusions to his face during the attack.

The incident happened Friday night outside the Amuse Wine Bar. Allenby had missed the 36-hole cut earlier in the day and was in the establishment following his round.

He told Golf Channel that he was with a friend and his caddie but was apart from the two when he struck up a conversation with individuals who claimed they were "Robert Allenby fans."

"They were talking golf," he told Golf Channel reporter Steve Sands on Sunday. "They were big golf fans, big Robert Allenby fans. So, yeah, obviously I was just a target."

He was told his two friends went downstairs, and when Allenby exited the bar he was attacked. He's uncertain whether he was drugged or was struck in the head by a bat, but he was knocked out and was later thrown out of the trunk of a car six miles away from the bar.

Once on the streets and bleeding, Allenby awoke to kicks from two homeless men before being helped by a retired Navy veteran.

The Honolulu police department is investigating the incident. Officials say they have closed-circuit television footage of the assault, a fact that leads Allenby to believe the case will be resolved, adding that the police have been "first class."

"I think eventually everything should come out," he said. "We know that [the robbers] are using my credit cards downtown. I think the moral of the story is that you have to be super-careful."

He later told an Australian news service via Skype, "It's a shame that people get jealous. The only good thing is is that I survived."