Robert Allenby has made 22 consecutive cuts on the US PGA Tour, the second longest current streak behind only Tiger Woods.
And though he hasn't won this year, the 37-year-old Victorian felt he was playing the best golf of his life until he found out in July that his mother had been diagnosed with cancer.
"The last month, since the British Open, I haven't been able to concentrate because of my mum," said Allenby today on the eve of the $A8.4 million BMW Championship at Bellerive.
"Prior to the British Open, this had been my best year ever, just without a win.
"You can do anything when you're thinking straight but I haven't wanted to be here the last six weeks and it's hard to play golf when you don't want to be here.
"Hopefully I can turn it around this week and come up with a better performance and then have a couple of weeks off and rest my body and brain."
Prior to receiving the bad news about his mother, Allenby had posted seven top-10 finishes this year. His results since have not been bad, but nor have they quite been up to his previous high standards.
Allenby's return to Bellerive has resurrected some vivid memories from 2001, because he was at the course in St Louis, Missouri preparing for a World Golf Championships event when the September 11 terrorist attacks occurred.
"I was with Stuey (Appleby)," he recalled. "We just got into the player's dining area and there was big breaking news on the TV, saying they were unsure of what had happened.
"They just said some planes had been highjacked, and then they showed the footage of the planes. Just as we sat down we watched the first one go into the first tower and we just sat there stunned. And then we watched the second one."
Even though the tournament was cancelled, Allenby spent the whole week in St Louis because of a flight ban in the entire US.
On the following Monday he flew to Pennsylvania and won that week's tournament, his fourth and most recent US victory.
