FOCUS ON Stevie-G can’t wait to take his game back to the future
IT will be 500 not out for Stephen Gallacher when he gets his 2017 campaign underway in Abu Dhabi on Thursday.
Nearly 24 years after he clocked up his first outing, as an 18-year-old amateur at the Scottish Open, the man from West Lothian reaches that appearance milestone.
There have been plenty of highs, including his appearance in the Ryder Cup at Gleneagles, and his back-to-back wins at the Dubai Desert Classic in 2013 and 2014.
However, there have also been lows, and last year was one of them as his season was decimated by injury.
Stephen had surgery on a long-standing wrist injury last March and then took more time off in the summer when the problem flared up again.
But he has remodelled his swing with coach, Alan McCloskey, to make sure he can now play pain-free.
There were some good signs towards the end of the year, as he finished no lower than 25th in his last four events.
That has given him renewed belief that he can get back to the top as well as the chance to reflect on his long time on Tour.
“I can’t wait for the new season,” he admits. “I feel fresh and I’ve got my appetite and hunger for the game back.
“Last year was poor, one to forget, on and off the course. In this game, you have to be physically fit and mentally strong to do well.
“I played four or five events when I wasn’t fit. You have no chance when you’re giving up that type of advantage.
“All you’re basically doing is making up the numbers and I don’t like doing that. Now I’m in a much better place.
“But after 20-odd seasons on Tour, not all of them are going to be vintage ones.
“To play my 500th event in Abu Dhabi is a real milestone and it’s something I’m very proud to achieve.
“These are exciting times for the European Tour. It feels like it’s going in the right direction, and the gap is closing between us and the PGA Tour.
“The Tour is so strong now that anyone can win. The strength-in-depth of fields is probably the biggest difference since I came out here.
“That can be seen in the number of first-time winners that we’ve had in the last couple of years.
“The conditions of the courses are now better than ever, the greens are firmer and the standard of play is high. This is really a great time to be playing.”
Gallacher’s injury woes of 2016 wiped out any chance of a second Ryder Cup appearance at Hazeltine last autumn.
He is not ruling out making Thomas Bjorn’s team in 2018. However, due to his current World Ranking of 363, the Bathgate golfer knows it will take a lot of good golf.
“It’s definitely a long-term goal,” he says. “First I need to climb up the rankings. I will need to be in the Majors and the WGC events at the start of next year to have a real chance.
“It’s an 18-month project. If I’m playing well, then I can give it a full shot because there is lots of money up for grabs.
“If you peak at the right time, and for the right tournaments, you have a hell of a chance. I have done it before, so I know what I need to do.
“My ranking is low right now because I’ve not been playing. I know that a couple of top-five finishes and I can get close to the top 100 again.
“I have been as high as 29th and my game is as good as when I was up there.”
Stephen wasn’t alone with his struggles last year as there was not a single Scottish winner on the European Tour.
He would love to put that right in 2017 and insists there is no need for panic about the Scottish game.
“It’s really tough to win on the European Tour and it’s certainly not through a lack of trying,” he declares.
“It goes in cycles. If one of us can get over the line, then three or four guys might win a tournament.
“There’s nothing to worry about, though. If we keep plugging away and get in contention, one of us will do it.”