STEPHEN Gallacher, winner of the Alfred Dunhill Links four years ago, is optimistic a brace of top ten finishes on Scottish turf this season will coax another positive performance from him this week at St Andrews, Kingsbarns and Carnoustie.
After producing glimpses of quality shot making at Loch Lomond, where he was sixth in the Scottish Open thanks to a breathtaking closing round of 64, and at Gleneagles, where he was tenth in the Johnnie Walker, the Bathgate golfer is eager to complet
e a hat-trick of enhanced displays at home. "I'd like to keep that run going and want to try and get myself into contention here on Sunday," he said.
"Anything can happen round here at St Andrews if you have a decent last round and move through the field."
While winning the Dunhill in 2004 remains the highpoint of Gallacher's career – he defeated Graeme McDowell in a play-off and held off challenges from Luke Donald and Ian Poulter – the Scot accepts he hasn't built on that success to the extent he would have wished.
That said, Gallacher always feels a renewal of confidence when his clubs rip through the seaside turf which distinguish our finest links.
"There are a lot of good memories for me here," he added. "It's always nice to come back to courses where you've done well in the past. It's also good to recall the shots you've hit under pressure. Coming back here is good for my positive thinking."
A former Walker Cup player and Scottish Amateur stroke play champion, Gallacher, 34, has spent a large chunk of his golfing life on the Scottish linksland.
"The guys who have played these links the most have an advantage because they always play the same way," he observed. "And when it's cold and windy, at St Andrews you just to keep hitting it left. Then you're playing your approach to the right and trying to two putt from 50 feet. There's no other way to play the Old Course.
"It doesn't matter how often you play St Andrews, you never hit it stiff or inside two feet. Sometimes if you're 20 feet away from the cup, that's a great shot. A lot depends on where they place the pins. Really, it's a test of patience."
Gallacher, Colin Montgomerie, who received treatment for a shoulder injury yesterday, and Paul Lawrie have won no fewer than three of the seven stagings of this event. "Familiarity with the courses at St Andrews and Carnoustie, in particular, is a big part of the reason why home players have won the Dunhill three times since the championship started in 2001," he said.
"Padraig Harrington has also won it twice and he knew the links from his amateur days too."
Indeed, last year's tournament finished with an all British top five in an event won by Englishman Nick Dougherty.
Paired with former American vice-president Dan Quayle in the team competition, Gallacher reckons a sense of humour is essential for a professional at the Dunhill. "You've got to have a laugh and try and make it lighthearted," he reasoned. "As a pro, you're seeing shots which you don't normally see. You spend a lot of time looking for balls. But I'm looking forward to playing with Dan Quayle, who I hear is a single figure handicap golfer. He should be able to tell us a few stories."
