European golfers are 'flying' heading into US Open at Shinnecock Hills

Add in Matt Fitzpatrick landing three PGA Tour triumphs, including one alongside his brother Alex, Justin Rose tasting success again at the age of 45 and Kristoffer Reitan claiming a spectacular breakthrough victory on the US circuit by winning a Signature Event and it’s certainly been a productive opening five months to the 2026 campaign for European players.

“I think European golf is flying,” observed Stephen Gallacher, with the season’s third major, the US Open at Shinnecock Hills, getting underway on Thursday week. “The ten guys leaving the DP World Tour (to play on the PGA Tour) is a controversial one, but the guys who get into America seem to fly. People say it maybe depletes the DP World Tour, but you only need to look at the results.

“Bob [MacIntyre] gets an opportunity to go there, now a multiple Ryder Cup player. Aaron Rai goes, Kris Reitan. He’s flying. He won an elevated event, so it’s not just in the majors that they’re doing well. Matt Fitzpatrick is clearing up, young Fitzpatrick (Alex) is doing well. It’s probably never been in as healthy a position.

“You’ve got lots of other guys just under the radar. Harry Hall is doing well and could easily get in the Ryder Cup. Alex could, Rai, Reitan, the Hojgaards are knocking on the door every week. These guys are flying and this is without talking about Jon Rahm doing well, Tyrrell Hatton doing well.”

It’s a tough one to gauge, but is it the case that European golf at the top level is stronger now than the days of the Big Five - Seve Ballesteros, Sandy Lyle, Nick Faldo, Bernhard Langer and Ian Woosnam?

“I’d say we’re stronger in terms of depth,” added Gallacher. “You had the Big Five but they were the Big Five. They don’t come along often. They were generational talents; Faldo, Seve, Sandy. Now you have lads like Reitan taking his chance. “Bang, he doesn’t look out of place. It’s the same with the Hojgaards. If one is not winning, the other one is third. Matt Fitzpatrick is beating [Scottie] Scheffler in a play-off and giving it shoosh to the crowd. It's great.”

All of which, of course, will be music to the ears of Luke Donald, who has already led Europe to back-to-back victories in the Ryder Cup and is now bidding to create history by making it a hat-trick in next year’s centenary edition at Adare Manor in Ireland.

For the 2025 match in New York, the European team had only one change from the win in Rome two years earlier. Will there be more changes than that for this next one?

“I think it will be different,” said Gallacher, who played on a winning team against the Americans at Gleneagles in 2104. “There will be a nucleus. You need experience, especially for the 100th anniversary. It’s going to be one of the best ever. I spoke to Guy Kinnings and they’re pushing the boat out.

“You have the core guys, Rahm, Rory, Hatton, Bob, Fitzpatrick. The other guys, like Hovland or Lowry, just need one good week. They’re always bubbling under and then they go bang, bang.

Markers are down for 2027 Ryder Cup

“The markers are down for the Ryder Cup and the team is almost ‘wow!’ Unfortunately, it’s still another year away. And we all know what can happen in a year in golf. But the European guys are dominating American golf just now.”

Though Stewart Cink, winner of the two over-50s’ majors so far in 2026, looks as though he will be a tough man to beat, Gallacher also hopes that will be the case when he joins the likes of Padraig Harrington, Darren Clarke and Colin Montgomerie in taking on the Americans in the ISPS Handa Senior Open at Gleneagles on 23-26 July.

It will be Gallacher’s first appearance in the event on Scottish soil and he reckons it deserves proper backing from home fans, especially in a year when The Open is being held south of the Border at Royal Birkdale.

“People will be blown away by how good these guys still are,” said the Bathgate man. “My generation, who grew up watching Ernie [Els], Vijay [Singh], [Bernhard] Langer and others, these guys were winning frequently when I went on tour. I’ve played with most of them, and my son Jack said he loved being out there with me watching them.

“My Foundation is having a couple of days at Gleneagles. You can bring the kids, get a lesson with PGA pros if you book a slot. It’s not just a Senior Open, they are trying to give back to the next generation. I’d encourage everybody to come along. Bring the grandkids. There will be plenty to do on site. Gleneagles is truly stunning. You forget how beautiful it is until you get on it.”

Beautiful isn’t exactly the word that comes to mind when thinking about some of the stuff that has gone on in golf over the last few years and there’s still a lot of uncertainty after the PIF’s decision to pull the plug on its funding of the LIV Golf League at the end of the season.

‘Quietly LIV Golf guys are coming back’

There is a slight feeling, though, that things could be about to get back to normal in the game. “I think it’s getting there,” opined Gallacher. “Rahm paying his [DP World Tour] fines, [Henrik] Stenson has come back. It seems that quietly guys are coming back and coming to a status quo again. That’s what we’ve all been crying out for.

“Golf is the loser when they’re squabbling and fighting among different groups. It’s not healthy for the game. The sooner we start to be pally pally again, the better. If guys who went to LIV want to come back? A lot of guys are still qualified to play on the tour, like [Lee] Westwood and [Ian] Poulter, and they can easily come back. Is that a good thing? For me, yes it will be as it will strengthen the tour. Would you want to see these guys playing again? Absolutely.”

Tickets for the ISPS Handa Senior Open at Gleneagles can be purchased online here