Stephen aims for Portugal return

Feb 26 2009 by Eric MacKinnon, West Lothian Courier

THE last few weeks have been a particularly frustrating and worrying time in the career of Stephen Gallacher.

The Bathgate-based professional had a good start to his 2009 campaign on the European circuit, with high finishes recorded in the first two desert events in the Gulf.

But in the third there was a missed cut just when he seemed poised to be moving from strength to strength.

But unbeknown to his many supporters the big man had been suffering since the last few weeks of 2008 — he had a hacking cough and felt sluggish and with these symptoms came a swelling of his hands in Dubai – and was actually relieved to miss the cut and fly home.

The condition has since been diagnosed as sarcoidosis and he is currently on large doses of steroids and a strict diet regime which will, hopefully, bring him through it.

The steroids are not performance-enhancing so Stephen is hoping to be eligible to take up his career again in Portugal next month.

The condition, which also brings muscle weakness and tiredness not eased by sleep, can be chronic, so everybody involved with Stephen and those who follow his career closely will wish him well and a speedy recovery.

ANOTHER Gallacher family member, three-times Ryder Cup captain uncle Bernard, turned 60 at the beginning of this month and is playing a fair bit at Sunningdale as well as Wentworth – where he retired as pro towards the end of the last century.

In London last week Bernard was in ebullient form. Though he has competed little on the Seniors European Tour he is off soon to compete in an event in Brunei, his first for three years.

These days Bernard and wife Lesley spend quite a bit of time babysitting for daughter Kirsty, who is probably even more famous with her career on television than her father ever was despite his high-profile Ryder Cup days.

The couple are now well settled into their new home in Ascot, where they moved from a long-time base on the Wentworth estate.

Bernard pops up to Scotland fairly regularly to see the family as well as attend events for his radio work with the BBC, so Turnberry for this year’s Open will be a busy time for him.

Certainly he still has a great affection for the Bathgate area where he grew up and where he was honoured a couple of years back when he was Chieftain of the Bathgate Highland Games.

THE Alliance boys have had a pretty thin time of it of late with two consecutive events postponed, the one at Dunfermline and the other at Mortonhall in Edinburgh last week.

Good news is that the former was due to go ahead yesterday (Wednesday) so we’ll have the result next time.

But there will be a bit of sadness about the Fife outing because there will be a weel kent face missing. Tom Galloway, the Grand Old Man of Alliance golf and a member at the Dunfermline club, slipped away last week at the wonderful age of 98.

He was a great old soul and a firm friend of many in West Lothian because of both the Alliance and the Tassie at Carnoustie, which was attended for many years by golfers from the West Lothian area.

Tom retired at the age of 61 and took up golf, making himself a more than decent performer.

Well into his nineties he could, almost unbelievably, still play 36 holes in a day – and probably went swimming, his other great love, after that.

He was a tremendous example to everybody who gets on in years and is tempted to do less. Tom just got out there and got on with it. He will be sadly missed.