Stephen Gallacher

From the manicured greens and beautiful azaleas to Amen Corner, the Masters was everything I hoped for and more.

From start to finish I enjoyed every moment of it and three rounds of par or better was not bad going at all.

It’s the major I always wanted to play in and it exceeded all my expectations.

Augusta is an unbelievable place and I learned so much from playing there and but for nine holes during my third round on the Saturday I was delighted with my performance. I certainly won’t be dwelling on what might have been though – I just want to make sure I get back there next year.

The course was in pristine condition, down to the smallest detail, and the facilities were second to none.

There is so much history there, it really is a unique event and the crowds were fantastic.

I received my fair share of support from the galleries and I would love to taste the atmosphere again. The Masters has its own little quirks and I particularly enjoyed the par-3 contest where my kids, Jack and Ellie, caddied for me.

They had a ball and it is something they won’t ever forget.

It really was a fantastic week, I also spent time with my friends and sponsors which was the icing on the cake. The courses on their side of the pond are very tough – the greens at Augusta were really demanding – and I love playing over here.

Although I am at the RBC Heritage PGA Tour event in Hilton Head in South Carolina this week, it is not my plan in the long-term to play more in the United States.

Every player wants to play in all the majors and the US Open and US PGA, along with the Players, are on my schedule this year.

But I am dedicating my time to Europe.

I am a member of the European Tour and that is where I want to play my golf. It also means I can be close to my family which is very important to me. I have a really exciting schedule coming up and after this week in South Carolina I head off to China for the Volvo Open and then I will have a bit of a break.

After that it’s The Players at Sawgrass in Florida in May and then on to the PGA championship at Wentworth.

I am happy with how I am playing at the moment and it would be a good time to start hitting a bit of form in the big events.

The Ryder Cup is a long way away but I need to put together as many good scores as I can between now and September and see what happens.