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He might have come away with zero points from his two matches but Scotland’s Stephen Gallacher insists that he relished every moment of his Ryder Cup debut at Gleneagles.

After losing heavily alongside Ian Poulter on the opening morning of the contest – going down 5&4 to US rookies Patrick Reed and Jordan Spieth – Gallacher didn’t reappear until Sunday’s singles session, where he was dumped 3&1 by five-time major winner Phil Mickelson.

However, the 39-year-old,  pictured above with caddie Damian Moore, insisted the experience of being part of a winning team meant more to him than his own individual disappointments.

“It’s been brilliant, to be honest,” said Gallacher. “It just couldn’t be better. The first tee today, I’ll remember it as long as I live. Unbelievable. It’s just been great and it’s been an awesome experience for me. Something I’ll cherish forever.”

Stephen Gallacher is a class act. He’s a quality guy.” – Phil Mickelson

Gallacher also paid tribute to European captain Paul McGinley for the meticulous manner in which he assembled and led his ultimately victorious side.

“Paul has been exceptional,” said the Scot. “He’s had a plan and he’s worked it to the letter every day and, now, it’s paid off.”

Mickelson, meanwhile, was full of praise for Gallacher, who was making his debut in the match, and the Scottish crowds who attended all three days of the match.

“I’ve had a chance to get to know Stephen and he’s a class act,” said the popular left-hander. “He’s a quality guy.

“What I was pleasantly surprised with was, even though I know there’d be a huge home bias from the crowd, the people were terrific and very respectful. I was definitely very pleasantly surprised by that.”

Stephen Gallacher :: Your thoughts

Give us your assessment of the Ryder Cup debut of Stephen Gallacher. Will we see him again in two years’ time at Hazeltine? Leave your thoughts in our ‘Comments’ section below

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Michael McEwan is the Deputy Editor of bunkered and has been part of the team since 2004. In that time, he has interviewed almost every major figure within the sport, from Jack Nicklaus, to Rory McIlroy, to Donald Trump. The host of the multi award-winning bunkered Podcast and a member of Balfron Golfing Society, Michael is the author of three books and is the 2023 PPA Scotland 'Writer of the Year' and 'Columnist of the Year'. Dislikes white belts, yellow balls and iron headcovers. Likes being drawn out of the media ballot to play Augusta National.

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