Despite the heat wave conditions Scotland’s Stephen Gallacher felt right at home joining many of his fellow European born competitors in taking advantage of the TPC Sawgrass course to birdie two of his closing three holes in a round of 70 on day one of the Players Championship.
Twenty-one European-born players are competing in this week’s PGA Tour flagship $US 10m event and with Gallacher among eight of 11 out in the morning half of the draw to be under par on the Stadium course.
Stephen Gallacher in good company shooting a 70 on his debut in the Players Championship. (Photo – www.golfbytourmiss.com)
Gallacher, and one of three Scots in the field, commenced with an opening hole bogey when he flew the green with his second but he then managed to birdie the fourth, and one of three greens that had been out of action for the first two days of practice.
The double Dubai Desert Classic winner then bogeyed the par three, eighth hole in finding a greenside bunker but birdied the par five 11th before brilliantly chipping-in for birdie from 34 feet short left of the green at the par five 16th.
Gallacher hit a 52-degre wedge into the par three island green 17th for par before hitting 5-wood and pitching wedge down the last to the fringe and holing an 18-footer for birdie.
However his manager Ian Stoddard, who had walked nine holes with his star client, missed out on seeing Gallacher’s finish as he was headed to nearby Jacksonville Airport and a flight home
Stephen Gallacher’s ‘Scottish’ putter cover. (Photo – www.golfbytourmiss.com)
“It was great to birdie 16 and 18 so that will make lunch taste a little nicer,” said Gallacher.
“But then I was saying to Damien (Moore) my caddy when we first got here this course should suit the Europeans and that was the case today.
“I really like the layout and a 70 is probably the worst I felt I could have shot today.
“So even though it got pretty hot out there near the end of my round I felt pretty comfortable.
“It was pretty quite early on with not that many spectators around but my the turn there was people everywhere, and then coming to 17 it’s just amazing how many people there are sitting on that bank.”
Fellow Scots Russell Knox and Martin Laird were out in the afternoon half of the draw.
