So far so good for Gallacher

Dec 3 2009 by Eric MacKinnon, West Lothian Courier

IT IS so far so good or maybe even better than that for Stephen Gallacher as he battles to regain his full playing rights on the European PGA Tour.

At Tuesday evening’s first cut at 72 holes in the final qualifying in Girona in Spain he lay in joint-11th place amongst the 150-odd hopefuls who were sweatily going about their business.

And it’s a business that brings pain and anguish to most and the promise of much gold to only a very few; think of Wes Heffernan and Jonathon Caldwell, perhaps not household names amongst the golfing fraternity but both well within the cut mark as they boarded the 72nd tee.

Both players contrived to take eight strokes up the last and in 20 minutes all their dreams were over for at least another year.

In contrast Julien Clement and Anton Haig, the latter a tournament winner in the big league already in his career, looked out of things going into round four until they shot 64 and 62 respectively to make Wednesday and Thursday’s final two rounds.

Stephen’s progress was, in the end, less fraught, although it had its ups and downs.

He opened on the longer Stadium course on Saturday with an extremely solid four under the card 68, good stuff considering his last competitive round was in July and he’s had a battle to fight off debilitating illness as well as get his game back in order in the interim.

There were only three scores better than his that day on that course though the lads were having a ball on the much shorter Tour course; Frenchman Julien Guerrier even had a 10 under 60, the lowest return in the long history of Final Qualifying.

So there were hopes that Stephen might do something similar in his next two rounds on that track, certainly lower than his opening return.

It was not to be.

Sunday’s play was uncertain and bogey ridden and even had a double bogey in it. His four birdie haul from the middle of the round did not make up for his errors and it added to a less than impressive two over par 72.

He was now tied 37th, still well within the cut mark but there was hardly room to continue in that vein.

The next day started not a lot better – the nappy greens were causing him problems – and he again bogeyed the fourth and fifth holes.

At the sixth, a hole well under the 400-yard mark, he got a break and pitched in for a much-needed eagle two which stiffened his resolve and, if his putter was still only lukewarm at best, he managed a couple of birdies on the back nine to close four better than he had the day before.

The guys were still shooting the lights out, though, and he had dropped a further couple of places so little for it but to get stuck in next day.

And so he did.

His first decision was to go cack-handed with the flat stick and his putting was much improved. Playing the back nine first on his favoured course he had seven pars and two birdies.

Into his back nine we got a glimpse of what the big man is really capable of; there were four more birdies for a 32 home and a great 66, and with the top thirty getting full playing rights it’s looking good.

It would appear it’s only a matter of seeing out the final two rounds with something akin to Tuesday’s form and he’ll be back in 2010, doing what he loves and does best, and, at the highest level.

By the time you read this it will all be over and I’m confident the outcome will be a positive one.