Updated at 3.40pm
AUSTRALIAN GOLFER ROBERT Allenby has announced he will not play in California after claiming to have been the victim of a kidnapping.
Robert Allenby has withdrawn from the Humana Challenge on the advice of his doctor after the golfer reported that he had been kidnapped, beaten and robbed.
The 43-year-old claimed the incident occurred in Hawaii on Friday, when he was out with a friend and his caddie following his failure to make the cut at the Sony Open. Police are still investigating.
Allenby’s face – seen in numerous television interviews – shows noticeable lacerations on his forehead and nose.
The Australian was still listed in the field for the Humana Challenge on Monday but as expected, he has withdrawn from the tournament.
A brief statement from the four-time PGA Tour winner on Tuesday read: ”This will enable me to ensure I am fully recovered.
“I anticipate a full recovery and look forward to returning in the near future.”
However, yesterday, Allenby’s account of what happened was questioned by the woman who found him in the wake of the alleged attack.
Charade Keane has given interviews wito multiple media outlets in both Hawaii and Allenby’s native Australia and claims she found the golfer just yards from the wine bar and not six miles away as he stated.
In an interview with Australia’s Channel Nine, Keane said she recognized the two men, and that they claimed Allenby had hit his head on a rock. Whereas she first thought the men were helping Allenby, she quickly changed her mind.
In an interview with Australia’s Channel 9 Keane also said she saw Allenby trying to offer two homeless men $500 but they became aggressive. She said she was helped by another man, believed to be a former soldier, to get the golfer into a taxi.
Additional reporting from Steve O’Rourke; first published 14.45
