Scot Stephen Gallacher tees-up in California tomorrow (Tuesday) with the confidence of triple Major winning Padraig Harrington that the Scot will qualify for over-50’s Champions Tour.
Gallacher, who turned 50 on November 1st, has travelled with caddying son Jack to be among 63 players who’ll tee-up on the Socoda Springs course at San Jacinto and around 100 miles east of LAX.
The top-20 will then head early next month to the famed TPC Scottsdale course in Arizona, and venue each year for the Phoenix Open, and hope to be among the top-5 finishers to earn 2025 Champions Tour membership.
Already in the Arizona field is fellow Scot David Drysdale who qualified T7th last Friday in a qualifying event in Florida along with Frenchman Raphael Jacquelin and Dane Soren Kjeldsen, who topped the qualifiers also last Friday in Mississippi.
EXCLUSIVE …
Great friend @padraig_h reveals he’d ☺️ to welcome Stevie @stevieggolf @sgfgolf @NorDanUK onto 2025 @ChampionsTour
Stevie tees-up Tues’ FQ @SobobaSpringsCC in California
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Read: https://t.co/ECFw4NO7W1
✅ @TOURMISS @Record_Sport (Bernie ) pic.twitter.com/kNV3A9gOvz
— Golf & Science News (@TOURMISS) November 18, 2024
Harrington joined the Champions Tour in 2022 winning that year a first senior major at the US Seniors Open and now boasting nine over-50s victories, including three this year.
And the Irishman spoke exclusively to GolfByTourMiss & Daily Record Sport on Gallacher successfully qualifing and joining Harrrington Stateside.
Harrington said: “I grew-up with Stevie G and it’s been nice finding your way in this game with someone a similar age, even though he’s a couple of years younger than me.
“We played so much amateur golf in the same tournaments and it would be great having another familiar face and a good friend like Stevie out on the Champions Tour.
“I encouraged him to enter qualifying as I believe he could do well on the Tour though the only thing different really is that the events are only three rounds, so you have to get going quickly. It may take a few weeks to get used to the new format but Stevie could do really well, so I’m hoping he gets through.
“As I said, it would be just great to have Stevie on the Champions Tour”.
If Gallacher is successful this week he’ll then join Drysdale in a fortnight’s time in Scottsdale, Arizona.
Though only the top-5 from the Arizona event will earn a 2025 Champions Tour card.
