Opinion & Analysis

Inside Stephen Gallacher’s 5-year wait between wins on the European Tour

Published

5 years ago

May 10, 2019

Editor’s note: Stephen Gallacher claimed the Indian Open at the end of March. Jordan Fuller takes a look back at the accomplishment.

Panic

Stephen Gallacher stood on the seventh tee of the DLF Golf and Country Club in New Delhi, India, in the thick of contention for the Hero Indian Open Championship on a blustery Sunday in late March. He started the day three strokes off the pace set by American Julian Suri, but after surviving the first six holes at even par, Gallacher was within one stroke of the lead.

And then: disaster. Two lost balls on the difficult par 4 seemed to end Gallacher’s chances at his first European Tour title in five years. Through an unfortunate quirk of the rules, Gallacher was forced to hit four tee shots on the seventh hole. His first drive was pull-hooked into no-man’s land, deep in the fescue that lines the fairway. He hit a beautiful provisional right down the middle of the fairway, but in a twist of poor luck, he found his first ball in an unplayable lie.

Because he’d found the ball, his lovely provisional tee shot was not able to be used. So Stephen had to make his way back to the tee and hit another shot, taking a stroke penalty for an unplayable lie. And he pull-hooked it into the same miserable fescue.

So he re-teed once again, hitting his fifth shot from the tee. Three strokes later, he found himself carding a catastrophic quadruple-bogey eight.

Golfers don’t usually write down an eight on the scorecard and go on to win the tournament. But Gallacher drew on his years of experience and perseverance, and he found a way to stave off the panic that could’ve easily ensued.

There Is a Light That Never Goes Out

Stephen Gallacher is a tall, lanky Scottish journeyman professional golfer. His long career has showed a lot of promise, but from earning his tour card on his first attempt in 1995 until 2018, he’d only managed to visit the winner’s circle three times.

Despite being in the top 50 of career earnings on the European Tour, Gallacher is still far from a household name. He’s able to enjoy a life that takes him to golf tournaments in all corners of the globe while still being able to visit a local pub with minimal fanfare. One glance at Gallacher’s twitter paints a picture of a good-hearted family man, a lifelong soccer fan and an avid fan of Manchester rock band the Smiths.

After being part of a successful European Walker Cup team in ‘95, Gallacher turned pro and promptly earned his tour card. A back injury in 1996 threatened to derail his career before it really even started, but he was able to recover and finally break through with a win in the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship in 2003.

Gallacher overcame a debilitating viral infection in 2009 that threatened both his career and his life. Upon returning to the tour with his competitive fire reignited, Gallacher was able to capture the Dubai Desert Classic in 2013 and again in 2014. These victories were enough to earn a Captain’s Pick on Team Europe for the 2014 Ryder Cup.

But Gallacher’s Ryder Cup appearance proved frustrating despite Team Europe’s commanding victory. Gallacher was 0-2-0 in his matches, losing a four-ball match 5&4 and his singles match 3&1 to Phil Mickelson. He was the only European Player who failed to earn any points at all in the tournament.

And yet, he soldiered on. From 2015-2018, Gallacher played a full schedule on the European Tour but was unable to capture his fourth title. He managed only seven top-ten finishes but still eked out a good living by making cut after cut.

And in 2019, he’d find himself grinding it out in New Delhi, desperately vying for one more glorious run into the winner’s circle.

Please Please Please Let Me Get What I Want

It was a tough weekend to be halfway around the world from home, competing in the Hero Indian Open. Stephen’s daughter Ellie turned 15 back in Scotland on Tuesday as he made his way around the odd DLF golf course in a practice round. And Sunday was Mother’s Day back in his homeland. At least Stephen’s son Jack, having just turned 18, made the trip to India with him and caddied for him in the tournament. Jack turned out to be a good luck charm.

DLF is an odd Gary Player design, with numerous dramatic and sometimes bizarre features that have earned it the nickname “Jurassic Park.” With lots of water, an island green, and bold rock faces jutting out into fairways, the course is beautiful and difficult. Many think it’s too penal, as sometimes decent shots wind up taking a bad bounce and costing you multiple strokes.

But the layout was great for a player like Gallacher. Much like his career, his game is based on perseverance and grinding. Never one to give up on a hole or a tournament, Stephen walked off the seventh hole with a quadruple-bogey 8 and a steely determination to get back into contention despite the snowman.

He rebounded with a steady par on the par-5 eighth hole, and then reeled off three birdies in the next four holes to quickly make his way back up the leaderboard. The leader, Julian Suri, had stumbled out of the gates but righted the ship with birdies on eight and nine. All he needed to do was cruise home with pars and no one would be likely to catch him.

How Soon Is Now

As Gallacher approached the island green on the par-4 14th hole, he’d worked his way back to a respectable 7 under, but found himself still three strokes back of the pace-setting Suri. As the wind whipped harder and harder, he stood over an eight-foot par putt and watched as it drifted off to the right, missing on the low side.

All that work carding three birdies after the disastrous eight, and it seemed to be for naught as a bogey on 14 looked like it would end his chances. But again, showing the resilience he’d displayed in coming back from back injury and debilitating viral lung and joint infection, he sallied forth, resolute in his desire to post a good score and let the chips fall as they may.

He hit a beautiful approach shot on the par-5 15th hole, landing it at the back of the green and spinning it some 15 feet back towards the hole. Allowing himself a peek at the leaderboard, he saw that the unbelievable had happened: Suri had made a quadruple-bogey 8 of his own on the 14th hole. All of a sudden, Gallacher was putting for birdie and a share of the lead.

Gallacher gripped his putter with his strong, cross-handed grip and started the putt firmly at the left edge, watching as it rattled off the back of the cup and dropped for birdie. Tied for the lead, with only three holes remaining, it seemed that now was the time to make some magic happen. The next best thing to celebrating Mother’s Day at home with his family would be to pull out a miraculous victory with his son on his bag.

This Charming Man

A sensible tee shot to the middle of the green on 16 was the prudent play, as the sucker pin was tucked over rocky outcroppings. Two putts later, Gallacher moved on with par and came to the home stretch.

A perfect drive on 17 left him with a blind short iron shot up a steep hill against a strong cross-wind. But they say the wind doesn’t affect a purely-struck shot, and Gallacher’s approach floated up the hill and landed perfectly short and left of the pin, rolling out to just a few feet for birdie. His putt, again starting firmly at the left edge, was dead center.

With just one hole left, Stephen Gallacher took the lead for the first time all tournament. All that was left was the 624-yard monstrous par-5 18th. His huge drive took every advantage of the downwind, downhill shot and rolled out a stunning 385 yards, leaving him a long iron from 239 to reach the green in two. He struck his second shot and walked confidently after it, watching as it sailed to the green and came to a stop just fifteen feet from the pin.

A sensible lag putt left him with a tap-in birdie. The whirlwind of the past hour behind him, he choked up on the 18th green as he shook his son’s hand and went to the scoring tent to see if anyone could catch him.

After the round, he was asked how he bounced back from a quadruple bogey that would’ve ruined most players’ rounds.

“I stood on the 8th tee and I just thought, I’m only five back! And on this golf course, with the winds swelling, just stay in.”

The 44-year-old Gallacher was able to teach the youngsters of the tour a thing or two about grinding out a score, and he was rewarded with the fourth championship trophy of his long European Tour career. Congratulations rang in from all over the world as his peers cheered on his patience and dogged tenacity. It was a much-deserved win for a well-liked player, and with his son caddying for him it became the most special weekend of his long career.

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19th Hole

Vincenzi’s 2024 Zurich Classic of New Orleans betting preview

Published

4 days ago

Apr 22, 2024

Matt Vincenzi

The PGA TOUR heads to New Orleans to play the 2023 Zurich Classic of New Orleans. In a welcome change from the usual stroke play, the Zurich Classic is a team event. On Thursday and Saturday, the teams play best ball, and on Friday and Sunday the teams play alternate shot.

TPC Louisiana is a par 72 that measures 7,425 yards. The course features some short par 4s and plenty of water and bunkers, which makes for a lot of exciting risk/reward scenarios for competitors. Pete Dye designed the course in 2004 specifically for the Zurich Classic, although the event didn’t make its debut until 2007 because of Hurricane Katrina.

Coming off of the Masters and a signature event in consecutive weeks, the field this week is a step down, and understandably so. Many of the world’s top players will be using this time to rest after a busy stretch.

However, there are some interesting teams this season with some stars making surprise appearances in the team event. Some notable teams include Patrick Cantlay and Xander Schauffele, Rory McIlroy and Shane Lowry, Collin Morikawa and Kurt Kitayama, Will Zalatoris and Sahith Theegala as well as a few Canadian teams, Nick Taylor and Adam Hadwin and Taylor Pendrith and Corey Conners.

Past Winners at TPC Louisiana

2023: Riley/Hardy (-30)
2022: Cantlay/Schauffele (-29)
2021: Leishman/Smith (-20)
2019: Palmer/Rahm (-26)
2018: Horschel/Piercy (-22)
2017: Blixt/Smith (-27)

2024 Zurich Classic of New Orleans Picks

Tom Hoge/Maverick McNealy +2500 (DraftKings)

Tom Hoge is coming off of a solid T18 finish at the RBC Heritage and finished T13 at last year’s Zurich Classic alongside Harris English.

This season, Hoge is having one of his best years on Tour in terms of Strokes Gained: Approach. In his last 24 rounds, the only player to top him on the category is Scottie Scheffler. Hoge has been solid on Pete Dye designs, ranking 28th in the field over his past 36 rounds.

McNealy is also having a solid season. He’s finished T6 at the Waste Management Phoenix Open and T9 at the PLAYERS Championship. He recently started working with world renowned swing coach, Butch Harmon, and its seemingly paid dividends in 2024.

Keith Mitchell/Joel Dahmen +4000 (DraftKings)

Keith Mitchell is having a fantastic season, finishing in the top-20 of five of his past seven starts on Tour. Most recently, Mitchell finished T14 at the Valero Texas Open and gained a whopping 6.0 strokes off the tee. He finished 6th at last year’s Zurich Classic.

Joel Dahmen is having a resurgent year and has been dialed in with his irons. He also has a T11 finish at the PLAYERS Championship at TPC Sawgrass which is another Pete Dye track. With Mitchell’s length and Dahmen’s ability to put it close with his short irons, the Mitchell/Dahmen combination will be dangerous this week.

Taylor Moore/Matt NeSmith +6500 (DraftKings)

Taylor Moore has quickly developed into one of the more consistent players on Tour. He’s finished in the top-20 in three of his past four starts, including a very impressive showing at The Masters, finishing T20. He’s also finished T4 at this event in consecutive seasons alongside Matt NeSmith.

NeSmith isn’t having a great 2024, but has seemed to elevate his game in this format. He finished T26 at Pete Dye’s TPC Sawgrass, which gives the 30-year-old something to build off of. NeSmith is also a great putter on Bermudagrass, which could help elevate Moore’s ball striking prowess.

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19th Hole

Vincenzi’s 2024 LIV Adelaide betting preview: Cam Smith ready for big week down under

Published

4 days ago

Apr 22, 2024

Matt Vincenzi

After having four of the top twelve players on the leaderboard at The Masters, LIV Golf is set for their fifth event of the season: LIV Adelaide.

For both LIV fans and golf fans in Australia, LIV Adelaide is one of the most anticipated events of the year. With 35,000 people expected to attend each day of the tournament, the Grange Golf Club will be crawling with fans who are passionate about the sport of golf. The 12th hole, better known as “the watering hole”, is sure to have the rowdiest of the fans cheering after a long day of drinking some Leishman Lager.

The Grange Golf Club is a par-72 that measures 6,946 yards. The course features minimal resistance, as golfers went extremely low last season. In 2023, Talor Gooch shot consecutive rounds of 62 on Thursday and Friday, giving himself a gigantic cushion heading into championship Sunday. Things got tight for a while, but in the end, the Oklahoma State product was able to hold off The Crushers’ Anirban Lahiri for a three-shot victory.

The Four Aces won the team competition with the Range Goats finishing second.

*All Images Courtesy of LIV Golf*

Past Winners at LIV Adelaide

2023: Talor Gooch (-19)

Stat Leaders Through LIV Miami

Green in Regulation

Richard Bland
Jon Rahm
Paul Casey

Fairways Hit

Abraham Ancer
Graeme McDowell
Henrik Stenson

Driving Distance

Bryson DeChambeau
Joaquin Niemann
Dean Burmester

Putting

Cameron Smith
Louis Oosthuizen
Matt Jones

2024 LIV Adelaide Picks

Cameron Smith +1400 (DraftKings)

When I pulled up the odds for LIV Adelaide, I was more than a little surprised to see multiple golfers listed ahead of Cameron Smith on the betting board. A few starts ago, Cam finished runner-up at LIV Hong Kong, which is a golf course that absolutely suits his eye. Augusta National in another course that Smith could roll out of bed and finish in the top-ten at, and he did so two weeks ago at The Masters, finishing T6.

At Augusta, he gained strokes on the field on approach, off the tee (slightly), and of course, around the green and putting. Smith able to get in the mix at a major championship despite coming into the week feeling under the weather tells me that his game is once again rounding into form.

The Grange Golf Club is another course that undoubtedly suits the Australian. Smith is obviously incredibly comfortable playing in front of the Aussie faithful and has won three Australian PGA Championship’s. The course is very short and will allow Smith to play conservative off the tee, mitigating his most glaring weakness. With birdies available all over the golf course, there’s a chance the event turns into a putting contest, and there’s no one on the planet I’d rather have in one of those than Cam Smith.

Louis Oosthuizen +2200 (DraftKings)

Louis Oosthuizen has simply been one of the best players on LIV in the 2024 seas0n. The South African has finished in the top-10 on the LIV leaderboard in three of his five starts, with his best coming in Jeddah, where he finished T2. Perhaps more impressively, Oosthuizen finished T7 at LIV Miami, which took place at Doral’s “Blue Monster”, an absolutely massive golf course. Given that Louis is on the shorter side in terms of distance off the tee, his ability to play well in Miami shows how dialed he is with the irons this season.

In addition to the LIV finishes, Oosthuizen won back-to-back starts on the DP World Tour in December at the Alfred Dunhill Championship and the Mauritus Open. He also finished runner-up at the end of February in the International Series Oman. The 41-year-old has been one of the most consistent performers of 2024, regardless of tour.

For the season, Louis ranks 4th on LIV in birdies made, T9 in fairways hit and first in putting. He ranks 32nd in driving distance, but that won’t be an issue at this short course. Last season, he finished T11 at the event, but was in decent position going into the final round but fell back after shooting 70 while the rest of the field went low. This season, Oosthuizen comes into the event in peak form, and the course should be a perfect fit for his smooth swing and hot putter this week.

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Opinion & Analysis

The Wedge Guy: What really makes a wedge work? Part 1

Published

1 week ago

Apr 18, 2024

Terry Koehler

Of all the clubs in our bags, wedges are almost always the simplest in construction and, therefore, the easiest to analyze what might make one work differently from another if you know what to look for.

Wedges are a lot less mysterious than drivers, of course, as the major brands are working with a lot of “pixie dust” inside these modern marvels. That’s carrying over more to irons now, with so many new models featuring internal multi-material technologies, and almost all of them having a “badge” or insert in the back to allow more complex graphics while hiding the actual distribution of mass.

But when it comes to wedges, most on the market today are still single pieces of molded steel, either cast or forged into that shape. So, if you look closely at where the mass is distributed, it’s pretty clear how that wedge is going to perform.

To start, because of their wider soles, the majority of the mass of almost any wedge is along the bottom third of the clubhead. So, the best wedge shots are always those hit between the 2nd and 5th grooves so that more mass is directly behind that impact. Elite tour professionals practice incessantly to learn to do that consistently, wearing out a spot about the size of a penny right there. If impact moves higher than that, the face is dramatically thinner, so smash factor is compromised significantly, which reduces the overall distance the ball will fly.

Every one of us, tour players included, knows that maddening shot that we feel a bit high on the face and it doesn’t go anywhere, it’s not your fault.

If your wedges show a wear pattern the size of a silver dollar, and centered above the 3rd or 4th groove, you are not getting anywhere near the same performance from shot to shot. Robot testing proves impact even two to three grooves higher in the face can cause distance loss of up to 35 to 55 feet with modern ‘tour design’ wedges.

In addition, as impact moves above the center of mass, the golf club principle of gear effect causes the ball to fly higher with less spin. Think of modern drivers for a minute. The “holy grail” of driving is high launch and low spin, and the driver engineers are pulling out all stops to get the mass as low in the clubhead as possible to optimize this combination.

Where is all the mass in your wedges? Low. So, disregarding the higher lofts, wedges “want” to launch the ball high with low spin – exactly the opposite of what good wedge play requires penetrating ball flight with high spin.

While almost all major brand wedges have begun putting a tiny bit more thickness in the top portion of the clubhead, conventional and modern ‘tour design’ wedges perform pretty much like they always have. Elite players learn to hit those crisp, spinny penetrating wedge shots by spending lots of practice time learning to consistently make contact low in the face.

So, what about grooves and face texture?

Grooves on any club can only do so much, and no one has any material advantage here. The USGA tightly defines what we manufacturers can do with grooves and face texture, and modern manufacturing techniques allow all of us to push those limits ever closer. And we all do. End of story.

Then there’s the topic of bounce and grinds, the most complex and confusing part of the wedge formula. Many top brands offer a complex array of sole configurations, all of them admittedly specialized to a particular kind of lie or turf conditions, and/or a particular divot pattern.

But if you don’t play the same turf all the time, and make the same size divot on every swing, how would you ever figure this out?

The only way is to take any wedge you are considering and play it a few rounds, hitting all the shots you face and observing the results. There’s simply no other way.

So, hopefully this will inspire a lively conversation in our comments section, and I’ll chime in to answer any questions you might have.

And next week, I’ll dive into the rest of the wedge formula. Yes, shafts, grips and specifications are essential, too.

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