Wary Gallacher knows Old Course packs a hidden punch

On-form Stephen Gallacher heads a strong Scottish contingent at the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship this week.

The 38-year-old is enjoying his most lucrative season in his 18 years as a professional.

He won the Omega Dubai Desert Classic at the beginning of February, and lost the Johnnie Walker Championship at Gleneagles in a sudden-death play-off last month.

Gallacher won the Dunhill in 2004 after beating Graeme McDowell in a play off and tied for fifth last year.

He could well be in the mix again when the £3-million-plus prize pot is being divided up next Sunday.

But he admits it took him a long time to work out the nuances of the Old Course at St Andrews.

“My early performances there weren’t all that great,” he recalls.

“I can’t remember doing much good there even in my amateur days. When I played in the Links Trophy, I was never in contention.

“But, as many players before me have explained, it is a course that grows on you.

“The first time you see it, you wonder what all the fuss is about.

“Then as you keep going back, you begin to see there is much more to it than meets the eye.

“That’s why it is so important to stay focused, because disaster is waiting if you put your ball in the wrong place, even if it does not look all that menacing to the eye.”

Gallacher’s career has been punctuated by injuries and health issues. Even as recently as the Johnnie Walker, he was fighting a painful back from start to finish.

He will be hoping to steer clear of these ailments this week as the East Coast of Scotland can produce some sharp autumnal weather that spells potential trouble for those with such problems.

And the pro-am format doesn’t help things, either!

“Yeah, it can be pretty tough with rounds that last around six hours,” Gallacher concedes. “So you had better bring a packed lunch!

“But playing with the amateurs brings another dimension to the tournament, and you can really enjoy it when you find you have mutual interests that you can chat about.

“And it is worth remembering that this is their tournament too.

“The year I won it not only did my partner play well himself, but he knew just how to let me do what I had to do and be unobtrusive over the final few holes.”

That factor does not apply to the galleries, however.

The fact Stephen, Paul Lawrie, and Colin Montgomerie have won this tournament provides proof, if it were needed, that the home support can be an extra club in the bag.

Lawrie, Marc Warren, Richie Ramsay, Craig Lee, David Drysdale and Scott Jamieson are just some of Gallacher’s countrymen who are more than capable of being in contention come the back nine on Sunday.

What would the home crowd give for that?