After an uncharacteristically poor start to the season, Stephen Gallacher witnessed the green shoots of recovery at the Saudi International powered by SoftBank Investment Advisers and is looking to build on his momentum and make 2020 more memorable than 2019.
“I could have shot 60 that day,” smiled Gallacher, who stormed up the leaderboard with a 4-under-66 in the final round at the Royal Greens Golf and Country Club, finishing 21st after beginning the day in 58th position.
“That was as good as I have played for a long time. I got some good signs in the third round when I was a bit disappointed as I played better than my score suggested. But I played some lovely golf in the final round and I hit it really well. I got better as the week went on so it’s a step in the right direction for me to build on.”
The performance was his best since he won the Hero Indian Open in March last year and put an end to a run of missed cuts at the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship and the Omega Dubai Desert Classic – where he is a two-time former winner.
Indeed, it seemed that 2020 was starting to play out in the same manner as how 2019 ended, because, despite the victory in India, Gallacher struggled to find the consistency he had previously enjoyed throughout his career. Gallacher’s triumph in New Delhi was his fourth on the European Tour and ended a five-year gap between titles, with his previous triumphs coming at back-to-back Omega Dubai Desert Classics in 2013-14.
However, the former Ryder Cup star couldn’t reach those highs again and during the campaign, and at one point he missed seven cuts in succession.
“Last season was strange,” admitted Gallacher. “It was great winning with my son, Jack, on the bag in India, and the only thing that will top that is doing it again.
“It’s always nice to win – I’ve only done it four times in nearly 600 events on the European Tour, which shows how hard it is – but it set me up with an exemption to keep going.
“At the same time, though, I missed a lot of cuts last season by one or two shots. I just wasn’t as consistent as I normally am. I normally have a lot more top-10 finishes than just one and so it was a tough year, mentally. That’s why I had a break at the end of last season, and took November off completely.
“I used that time to have a re-evaluation of everything and I’ve had a break from the coaching side of things. I’m trying to free my brain up a bit to try and get some consistency back. It’s all about getting into position on a Sunday. The more times you do it the better you become.”
New breed of Scottish players
The 45-year-old was one of eight Scots in the field at the start of the 2020 campaign in Abu Dhabi and he acknowledges that the new breed of youngsters out on Tour gave him a ‘shot-in the arm’ as he set out on his 24th season on Tour.
“The young Scots are doing brilliantly just now – and the more the merrier,” he said. “When these guys play well it shows others coming through that they can do it via the same pathway.
“I had the same thing when I was a youngster with Colin Montgomerie, Sandy Lyle, Sam Torrance and Gordon Brand Junior – you looked up to those guys and watched what they were doing.
“Youngsters these days are better equipped for life in the professional ranks. They come out of the Challenge Tour as if they’ve been here for 10 years.
“I think that conveyor belt of talent is going to keep going. It’s exciting to see.”
Gallacher’s lone Ryder Cup outing came on home soil, back in 2014 as he played his part in Europe’s superb 16½- 11½ defeat of the United States at Gleneagles under the Captaincy of Paul McGinley. The man from Lothian was handed a Captain’s pick by the Irishman after impressing with his dedication to make the team, and, as a result, he has memories that will last a lifetime.
“Stepping on to the first tee at Gleneagles on the Friday morning was magic,” reflected Gallacher. “It was exactly what I was hoping for and was expecting. The fans were fantastic all the way around the course. It was just a shame we never got the birdies to compete with them (Gallacher and Ian Poulter were defeated 5&4 by Jordan Spieth and Patrick Reed in the opening session of fourballs).
“It took me a few holes to settle in and find my rhythm and when we finally did we didn’t really hole any putts. You have to make birdies to win holes and we were a bit shy – that was the difference.
“A few years ago I had made a conscious effort to get into the Ryder Cup Team. I improved every single part of my game – the mental aspect, nutrition, injury prevention, equipment, routines, absolutely everything.
“Whilst I knew midway through that 2014 season that my performances had given me a great chance of a wildcard pick, I couldn’t be confident that it would be enough to guarantee a place.
“There were probably five other players hoping to get one of Paul’s three picks – two of these were former World No.1s and all of them had previous Ryder Cup experience – so, I knew that I was up against some fierce competition for a place.
“To be chosen as a rookie and to be given the nod gave me a lot of confidence and made me understand just how far my game had improved in the space of just over a year.” Gallacher had the best year of his career in 2014. In addition to his Dubai title he had a runner-up finish at the Nordea Masters and was fourth at the Aberdeen Standard Investments Scottish Open among seven top tens. After earning McGinley’s trust for a place on the team he went on to end the season 18th in the Race to Dubai.
“I spoke with Paul Lawrie quite a bit about his experience in the victory at Medinah in 2012, and he said he was on a massive high after the tournament. So I thought, ‘you know what, I’m starting to play better – let’s go for it’.
“I always felt that I could add to my victory at the Dunhill Links Championship in 2004 and there’s no doubt that back-to-back wins in Dubai had given me the confidence that I had been missing.
Ryder Cup moment
“Prior to that, I thought I had missed my chance of playing in a Ryder Cup and I knew that if I wanted to make the team for Gleneagles then I had to have the best year of my life – which, I’m pleased to say I did. I took a lot of pride from that and I’m happy to be here now, knowing that all of the hard work and the sacrifices were well worth it.”
While those sacrifices were successful that time around, Gallacher is now at the stage in his career when he’s looking to keep up with the next generation – including last year’s European Tour Rookie of the Year Robert MacIntyre – and he feels he’s in good shape.
He was well placed with a one-shot lead at the halfway stage of the Oman Open but failed to convert that into a victory after a disappointing weekend on the challenging Al Mouj Golf layout.
“I had been struggling a bit but I’d worked hard on my game,” he said in Oman. “Things started to turn around in Saudi Arabia, where I started to hit some good shots and it’s amazing how it can snowball after that. You start to chip and putt a bit better and compete. Hopefully, by Sunday you just want to be in with a chance to win.”
While victory didn’t materialise in Oman, the experienced campaigner has the confidence and the know-how to deliver again on the European Tour but he admits it might be a while before he gets the opportunity, given the concerns about the coronavirus outbreak and the recent postponements of events.
“A pandemic is a serious thing and people are dying from it, so it’s no surprise to see all these cancellations,” said Gallacher, who didn’t get the chance to defend his Hero Indian Open title last month as that was one of the postponed events.
“It’s the way of the world right now. We’re in very uncertain times and we just hope it gets sorted soon.
“There’s always going to be an Indian Open next year, so it’s just a case of getting everybody back to full health.
“Obviously, you want to go back as defending champion, but the bigger picture is more important than sport.”
