Scottish golfer vows to 'give it all I've got' in Champions Tour card bid
Stephen Gallacher joins David Drysdale in securing spot in Scottsdale shoot-out
Stephen Gallacher has vowed to “give it all I’ve got” in his bid to secure a coveted Champions Tour card after joining compatriot David Drysdale in progressing to the final stage.
After either sharing the lead or holding it outright over the first three rounds, Gallacher was pipped for top spot by Australian Matthew Goggin in his pre-qualifier at Soboba Springs in California.
It was all about making it through, though, and, helped by four sub-par rounds for a 13-under-par total, it was mission accomplished for the newly-turned 50-year-old Bathhgate man.
“One down, one to go,” said a delighted Gallacher, Europe’s Junior Ryder Cup captain, as he reflected on a polished performance at the San Jacinto venue, where the top 16 and ties advanced. “It was a good week with four rounds under and now I am really looking forward to giving the final all I’ve got.”
The battle for just five cards takes place at TPC Scottsdale in Arizona starting on Tuesday week and is set to involve a multiple major winner in Angel Cabrera as well as Ryder Cup players in Gallacher, J J Henry, Chris Riley and Boo Weekley.
Others in the field include Dane Soren Kjeldsen, Swede Freddie Jacobsen and Alan McLean, the Clydebank-born player who is now flying the Canadian flag.
Kjeldsen, who recently called time on his DP World Tour career after 27 seasons, won another first stage event at Grand Bear Golf Club in Mississippi and could be one of the main card contenders in the desert.
Drysdale, who turns 50 next March, secured his spot by finishing joint-seventh behind Chile’s Felipe Aguilar at Buckhorn Springs in Florida and will finalise his preparations by teeing up in next week’s International Series Qatar event on the Asian Tour.
After playing most of his golf on the DP World Tour, Australian left-hander Richard Green won the final stage two years ago while Swede Robert Karlsson also secured his card through the same route in 2019.
Meanwhile, Martin Laird boosted his hopes of retaining a PGA Tour card for next season by jumping into the top ten at the halfway stage in The RSM Classic in Georgia. The Scots sits 152nd in the FedEx Cup Fall Standings and needs to jump into the top 150 after this event to secure conditional status.
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