Gallacher tells of agonising wait for place
BATHGATE'S Stephen Gallacher has revealed he endured an agonising wait before finally learning he had secured a spot in the forthcoming Open at the "Home of Golf" in St Andrews.
The 35-year-old drowned his sorrows after fearing he had been pipped for an exemption spot by David Horsey after the Englishman's win in the BMW International Open in Munich.
But, just before boarding a plane to fly back to Edinburgh, Gallacher got a call to say his place in the world's oldest major was secure.
"I didn't think I was in so I had a few pints, but then I got a phone call to say I had secured one of the spots, which is fantastic."
Gallacher's success in qualifying from a current form order of merit on the European Tour means he'll be returning to the scene of his biggest victory - the 2004 Dunhill Links Championship.
The former Walker Cup player's last Open appearance was at St Andrews five years ago. He'll head for the Old Course as Scottish golf's form player.
In his last 13 events, Gallacher has missed the cut just once, so he's delighted with the way he has performed since returning to the European Tour after missing the second half of last season through illness.
He said: "Even without this, I think what I've done this year merits an A plus and to be looking forward to playing in The Open at St Andrews has capped it off.
"I've been trying to tick off a few goals as I've been going along and hopefully I'll be able to book a place in the Dubai World Championship and perhaps even a place in the top 20 in Europe before the season is finished."
Gallacher also has next week's Barclays Scottish Open to look forward to.
Gallacher's success means at least six Scots will be at St Andrews, with the West Lothian player joining Open winners Sandy Lyle and Paul Lawrie as well as Colin Montgomerie, Andrew Coltart and Martin Laird.
The Open will run from Thursday 15 – Sunday 18 July at the Old Course. This year's event will also see the famous 17th 'Road Hole' – possibly the most famous hole in golf – lengthened for the first time in more than 100 years.
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Weather for Bathgate
Monday 21 May 2012
Today
Sunny spells
Temperature: 6 C to 15 C
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