Scot recalls ‘brilliant Belfry memories’ and hopes he can get in mix again at Ryder Cup venue

Not when he’d failed to make it to the weekend on the DP World Tour in five successive starts and just once in eight outings, and not when clearing that hurdle in the Betfred British Masters means he’ll be teeing up in the closing two rounds at one his favourite venues in the game. “It’s magic,” said Gallacher of The Belfry, where his uncle, Bernard, was Tony Jacklin’s vice captain then captain himself in the Ryder Cup.

Referring to the man who has iconic images plastered all over the Sutton Coldfield venue and rightly so for his heroics there in the Ryder Cup, both as a player and captain, he added: “I remember watching Sam [Torrance] holing the winning putt in 1985 and downing the pint of Guinness on the balcony, just brilliant memories.”

Gallacher has some fond memories of his own here, having finished joint-second, one shot behind Swede Johan Edfors, in the 2006 Quinn Direct British Masters on the Brabazon Course. “I love this place,” he continued. “It’s a brilliant course and an iconic venue.”

Earlier in the week, the 49-year-old had talked about how he’d been “playing well enough” and that had been backed up by his stats, but, due to putts not dropping, he bemoaned that “I just haven’t been scoring”, hence those early exits. Changing both his putter and putting grip has been the catalyst for a welcome boost in the opening event of the circuit’s ‘Back 9’ swing.

“I drove it good and putted good yesterday then putted good again today but just didn’t drive it as well and it’s such a tough driving course,” he said after following an opening 69 with a battling 73 to sit on two under par at the halfway stage. “It’s a really tough track and I’m happy as I hung in and had plenty of birdies again, so I am looking forward to the weekend.”

Whether or not he can get close to Tyrrell Hatton – the two-time Ryder Cup player sits on ten under after a second-round 65 that contained eight birdies – remains to be seen, but, with one eye on a first crack at the Champions Tour Qualifying School later in the year, there’s certainly bounce back in Gallacher’s step.

“Breaking 70 twice over the weekend would be great,” he said and something special in the 60s could be a springboard for climbing from outside the top 200 in the Race to Dubai Rankings into the all-important top 115 in the final few weeks of the season. “Six under or eight under and maybe get to ten, we’ll see what happens. If I play how I did the first day over the weekend, I’ll be delighted.”

“Right up to the final regular one in Korea, which is worth $4 million, we’ve got some big events coming up, so you’ve just got to keep going,” said the Bathgate man. “I’ve been in this game long enough to know that you can hit a bit of form. It’s just that you find it a bit harder as you get a bit older.”