Stephen Gallacher ready for the Masters

Only three golfers have ever won the Masters at the first time of asking. However, Stephen Gallacher is hopeful that he can follow in the footsteps of Horton Smith in 1930, Gene Sarazen in 1935, and Fuzzy Zoeller in 1979 by slipping into a Green Jacket at Augusta National when he makes his debut there next week.

The 39-year-old has booked his place in the season’s first major for the first time by virtue of his position in the top 50 of the world rankings. At 37th, he’s done so quite comfortably, too.

And despite the fact no first-timer has won the tournament in 35 years, the Dubai Desert Classic man is going there full of optimism after an excellent start to the season, and points to the performance of Denmark’s Thorbjorn Olesen last year as proof that debutants can – and do – sometimes fare better than expected.

“Sure, Augusta’s got that reputation of being a course that you need to have played a few times, but Thorbjorn went there last year and finished in the top ten at the first time of asking,” Gallacher told bunkered.co.uk. “Personally, I’m going there to just try and play well, enjoy it, play my own game, and see what happens. It’s such a hard event to get into, so I’m just thrilled to be there.”

Having played in the US Open, Open and PGA Championship, Gallacher admitted he is delighted to be completing the set at the Masters this year.

“I’m massively excited,” he said. “It’s the only major I’ve not played in yet. I’ve seen it all my days, watched it all my life. It was the only one I was allowed to stay up late for and I’d be grumpy with tiredness the next day at school.”

“I remember vividly watching them the big wins. Sandy , Woosnam, Seve , and so on.

“The first one I can really remember is Seve in 1980, when he hit those two shots into the water at the 12th and 13th. He had quite a big lead, though, and still ended up winning. But the one that really stands out is Sandy in ’88.”

Having seen Lyle play there on TV, Gallacher will get the chance to see him at much closer quarters when they play a practice round together this weekend.

“Sandy emailed me and asked if I wanted to play with him,” revealed Gallacher, who also hopes to fix up a practice round with another former winner, Jose Maria Olazabal, too. “My uncle spoke with him at the Scottish Golf Awards recently and he told him I was playing for the first time, so he got in touch and asked I fancied a practice round, so that’ll be good.

“Jack knows that winning the Par-3 wouldn’t do my chances of winning the tournament proper any good.” – Stephen Gallacher

“Guys like Sandy and Jose Maria still play well around there just now and it’ll be good to play with guys who have won it before, even just to see what their take is on the course. Ultimately, I’ll be just getting my game plan up with my caddie, but it’s nice to speak to guys who’ve got Green Jackets and pick their brains a little bit.”

Gallacher is also hoping they will be able to impart some invaluable inside knowledge about the course, too.

“No matter the course, you always need to know the best places to hit it and, should you need to, the best places to miss,” he added. “But I think it’s especially prevalent at Augusta National. You might miss the green and find yourself with a better shot, so there’s a lot to learn and I’m really looking forward to it.

“You know, the thing about the Masters is that it’s just got such a mystique about it. It’s obviously the only major that is played on the same course this year. It’s always been there and that makes it pretty special. It’s about the history, the people who built it, the aura – it’s just such a unique place. I think even the guys who have played the course hundreds of time still look forward to going there and driving up Magnolia Lane.”

The three-time European Tour winner will be joined at Augusta by his family, with his two children – Jack and Ellie – set to play a starring role in the traditional Par-3 Tournament the day before the main event gets underway.

“They’ll be getting overalled-up,” laughed Gallacher. “They’re really excited about it and Jack’s already decided he’s going to have a putt just in case I end up winning it. It’s funny, he already knows that winning the Par-3 wouldn’t do my chances of winning the tournament proper any good. He knows that nobody has ever won both tournaments the same week. He knows the deal, and he’s made sure I know, too!”

It won’t be all business for Gallacher, though. “I’m going over there with a big shopping list,” he added. “I need to buy T-shirts for friends and all that sort of thing. I’ll try and get that done early doors so I can just knuckle down and get on with my preparation. It’s going to be a great week.”

Stephen Gallacher: Masters prospects

Can Stephen Gallacher break the mould and become only the fourth player to win the Masters on his debut? Leave your thoughts in our ‘Comments’ section below.

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.

Deputy Editor