Home expectation will be no burden for Gallacher

IT must be hoped that 13 proves to be a lucky number for Scotland’s golfers this week at Royal Aberdeen. No Scot has won the Aberdeen Asset Management Scottish Open since Colin Montgomerie at Loch Lomond in 1999. Indeed, Monty is the only home player to have done so in the history of the event.

Marc Warren, of East Kilbride, had one hand on the trophy two years ago at Castle Stuart only to suffer a dramatic late collapse and hand the prize to India’s Jeev Milkha Singh.

Warren, a two-time European Tour winner, is one of the 13 Scots who will compete in a world-class field chasing £2.4million in prize money.

The presence of defending champion Phil Mickelson, fellow American Rickie Fowler, two-time winner Ernie Els and a host of top Europeans ensures that the precursor to The Open will attract a global TV audience of tens of millions.

But is it too much to hope for a home winner, given the huge level of expectation generated by golf’s Tartan Army?

One who does not think so is Stephen Gallacher, currently the leading Scot in the Race to Dubai in 10th place and ranked a lofty 37th in the world.

The 39-year-old from Bathgate knows a thing or two about dealing successfully with pressure, it would seem, given that he became the first player to successfully defend the Dubai Desert Classic title in January.

Gallacher’s take on handling expectation is relatively simple: focus on the golf and close your mind to all distractions.

Easier said than done, perhaps, but Gallacher insists that the key to a good week is focus and resisting the temptation to try too hard.

He said: ‘You are never going to remove the expectancy level when it’s your home Open and you desperately want to do well.

‘Probably the most difficult thing is not to try too hard and go about your business as if it’s just another week on tour; just another tournament, nothing special.

‘That’s never going to happen of course. You so want to do well playing in front of family and friends in a huge event the week before The Open.

‘But you can only control certain things on the golf course. There is never any point thinking too far ahead and forcing situations because that just eats you up.

‘I’ve been down that road before so I know from personal experience how easy it is to put added pressure on yourself.

‘I will arrive on Monday and play the course Tuesday and Wednesday, just as I do most weeks of a tournament.

‘Royal Aberdeen is not a course I know well but I am told by my contacts that it is in unbelievably good condition and being a links I am very much looking forward to playing it.

‘I have spoken with Paul Lawrie and Richie Ramsay and they are big fans, describing it as a spectacular setting.

‘It’s an old-fashioned, proper links course, not a modern one and there are subtle differences.

‘We don’t often get the chance to play links courses and to do so in backto-back weeks is great, especially as a warm-up for The Open at Hoylake.

‘Putting a good week under your belt at Royal Aberdeen is important in terms of carrying form into The Open.

‘But the Scottish Open is not just preparation for The Open. It stands alone in its own right and, for us Scots, a win would be like winning a major.’

If local knowledge is a factor, Paul Lawrie has a head start on the majority of the field in that he plays the course up to five times a year.

The 45-year-old Aberdonian also has a remarkable record of success in his homeland, winning The Open at Carnoustie in 1999, the Dunhill Links Championship at St Andrews two years later and the Johnny Walker Championship at Gleneagles in 2012.

‘I’ve made no secret of the fact that I would love to add the Scottish Open to my CV and to win it in my home city would be unbelievable,’ he says.

‘If I managed to do that, it would be right up there with my best achievements in golf, second only to winning The Open.’

It is a measure of the depth of quality that 10 major champions boasting 26 major titles are in the field, including the Irish trio of Rory McIlroy, Padraig Harrington and Darren Clarke.

The English heavyweight quartet of Justin Rose, Lee Westwood — winner in 1998 — Luke Donald, champion in 2011, and Ian Poulter are also signed up to compete for a top prize of £460,000.

But purely from a Scottish perspective, the home focus will be on the likes of Gallacher, Lawrie and Ramsay.

The return of Martin Laird from the US and the presence of another PGA player, Inverness-born Russell Knox, will also create plenty of local interest.