Regnum Caya, Belek …
Stephen Gallacher celebrated his 44th birthday climbing out of his hotel sick bed to post a 70 on the opening day of the Turkish Airlines Open in Belek.
Gallacher was later joined by fellow Scot Russell Knox who clawed his way also to one-under with three birdies in succession late in his round in ideal scoring conditions on the Regnum Caya course.
Ireland’s Paul Dunne, who had led the 2015 Open Championship at St. Andrews heading to the last day, leads the $7m 78-player field thanks to a bogey-free seven-under 64.
Three players – Ireland’s Padraig Harrington along with defending champ, Justin Rose and 2016 Turkish Airlines winner, Thorbjorn Olesen – share second with six-under par 65s.
Scotland’s Stevie Gallacher after his opening round of 70. (Photo @tourmiss)
Gallacher’s round was a mix of three birdies and one less bogey and after he had been bed-ridden for most of Wednesday after a ‘reaction’ to taking pills for a virus.
“I’m feeling better. I just took a reaction to tablets I’m taking for a virus,” he said.
“I started to get dizzy and feel sick so I went to my bed yesterday afternoon. I’m still not right, but I wasn’t dizzy today.
“When I woke up yesterday, I thought ‘jeez, what’s happening here’ and I knew it wasn’t down to having any bevvy (laughing) so I had to rule that out straight away.
“I pulled out of the pro-am was a precautionary step but it meant that I didn’t even hit a shot out on the course. Given the lack of preparation, one-under wasn’t a bad score.”
Gallacher had kept quite his birthday and with playing partners Max Kieffer and Aussie Wade Ormsby not award until exiting the scorer’s hut
“When you get to 44, you don’t tell anyone,” he said laughing.
“So, no gifts before I teed off, not even from Jack (son & caddy) but then I think he’s online ordering me something.”
Gallacher’s best birthday gift would be the assurance of contesting next fortnight’s season-ending DP World Tour Championship in Dubai.
“I’m 74th on the Race to Dubai so I am into next week’s Nedbank and I just need a half decent week as I’d love to play in Dubai and would love to cement that this week,” he added
Knox got the reward of a kiss from his wife, Andrea after being at two-over through 10 hole before birdies of 12-feet on 13 and then a pair of 10-foot birdies at 14 and 15.
“It was just awful early on as for the first 12 holes I didn’t have birdie putt within 30 feet. It was very disappointing,” he said
“I made a great bogey on 10, a good up-and-down and made a nice putt for par on 12 after playing like the worst hole of my life.
“I was coming down the 12th thinking ‘I’m quitting golf’. I was miles right but hacked it out, chunk hooked a hybrid and then hit a decent shot and a good putt.
“Then I make three birdies in a row so to shoot one-under par was unreal.”
