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ALFRED DUNHILL LINKS CHAMPIONSHIPOctober 1, 2014Stephen GallacherCARNOUSTIE & KINGSBARNS, SCOTLAND MICHAEL GIBBONS: Thanks for joining us, as always. Always a pleasure to welcome a former champion and Ryder Cup player to the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship. I suppose you'd better start us off with last week. Was that coffee required on Monday morning? STEPHEN GALLACHER: Might have been something in it to just take the edge off it. Sunday night was brilliant. You know, just had a party to get it together and maybe ended up going into the American Team room and just having a beer with the fellow players, which is nice, that's what it's all about. It's a team game but it's also played in the right spirit; certainly a few right spirits had. MICHAEL GIBBONS: Give us your overall experience of The Ryder Cup, your first Ryder Cup must have been an amazing week. STEPHEN GALLACHER: Yeah, it was tough getting in it mentally and then last week was up there with probably one of the best weeks I've had. Just being involved in the team meetings and the team room with the five vice captains and the wealth of experience, Majors won, Ryder Cups played; and to have intense meetings and good speeches, good people talking to you and videos, I think it's one that for even for the week it helped me through the week. And for going forward, I think I can even‑‑ it's going to help my game, as well, and help my general, I learned so much from that, things I can take on board and really good that way, as well. MICHAEL GIBBONS: And very quickly this week, sort of a gentle return to normality? STEPHEN GALLACHER: Yes, well, when you get the chance to play three of the best courses in the world, it's hard not to play them. We don't get a chance too often to play these courses in links golf, something I grew up playing. So I'm a wee bit tired still just now, but had a couple of days at home and drove up this morning. Not going to over‑exert myself and try and play the three courses. I know them well anyway. Hopefully rest is going to be the key for me doing well this week. Q. In the paper yesterday, you were in a photograph with Rory with a kilt and wig on. Rory said he didn't have many memories of that, can you tell us where that came about? STEPHEN GALLACHER: First thing I knew about it is when I seen it (laughter). No, got a couple of selfies and whatnot. Rory, he's a great kid and in Ryder Cup, you get to know your peers a bit better. It was just in g in there and seeing [] the laugh we were having and whatnot. These hilarities, these things happen. Nothing malice in it involved. Just if I had a body like that, I wouldn't have a top on‑‑ I need a jumper and an under tee‑shirt. Q. You have a great record here, you've won here, never easy obviously to win any golf tournament, but after last week, in a sense, is it going to be slightly easier this week, because obviously you know the pressure of last week, and this week, I suppose less so, maybe. STEPHEN GALLACHER: I think the hard thing this week is just going to, hopefully I don't run out of energy, because the long days, you're out there for quite a long time. I think it can take a lot out of you last week, just to sort of‑‑ it's a demanding week on your time. From the start to finish, it just goes so quick, because everything is happening and it's all scheduled. But, I don't know if having no pressure is a good thing or not. I think you've still got a lot to play for with the Top‑10 and the bonus and World Ranking points. So I'm going to use that, but it's definitely not as intense as I have been the last few times I've played.       So I'm looking forward to going out. And I've got a great partner who I've played with for a long time, and we always have a good laugh. It's not too serious. I like the format of this because you know you're out there for a long time, you have a good chat, you can talk about stuff and just great to play these courses.       The courses are brilliant and we never get a chance to play them and they are at their best right now. I can't believe how green they are. I've just been up to Kingsbarns and had a look at St. Andrews. It's so green; I can't wait to get on them. Whenever I get a chance to play links, I just jump at the chance. I absolutely love the different aspects of the game. Q. The European Team seemed to foster a real team spirit. What for you was it that galvanized the group? STEPHEN GALLACHER: I think the captain, from the word go, was immense. I think it was an absolutely flawless week, from the word go to right down to the party, everything was orchestrated and he had a plan. He had a plan that had been in place for a year and a half or so that he had taken it, and he delivered it exactly how he wanted it to go.       And part of that plan was from the first day we sat down and said, hey, listen, we are going to have fun and we are going to be as a team. There's 12 people, there's no egos, there's nothing involved. And it was evident when you see the score that that had something to do with it. Q. You've said for so many years that your dream was The Ryder Cup, playing The Ryder Cup. Do you have a new dream now? STEPHEN GALLACHER: To play in it again. I don't know how you can replicate the sort of level of intensity or the level of excitement, especially standing on the first tee playing against Phil Mickelson on Sunday was something that will live with me forever, just the reception and the amount of people there. And I think The Ryder Cup is like one of these things; just speaking to a few of the guys after it and the next‑‑ you know, you just cannot wait to get back in to play it again. Q. Would you say it's life‑changing to become a Ryder Cup player, and how have people reacted to you? Has there been any difference in the way that people will react to you? STEPHEN GALLACHER: Well, it's massive, it's the third biggest sporting event in the world and to be part of it and to be part of a winning team has definitely raised the profile a little bit in a good way. I've been part of it and the key now is to be part of the next one. Q. Has anyone approached youon the streets ‑‑ STEPHEN GALLACHER: I've been laying in my bed for two days (laughter) more or less roaming the streets. No, I've just chilled out to be honest. I've had a lot of friends come down to the house, family, just some nice messages. Paul sent me a text last night that was absolutely amazing. Q. Can you share it? STEPHEN GALLACHER: No. I'll show you, though, off the record (laughter). You know, it's just a testament to the guy. I couldn't be‑‑ I thought I couldn't speak highly enough of him, and Justine without my peers, I've heard guys who have been on five, six, seven Ryder Cups saying this was the their best one. So for me to be part of that and how good it was; me and my wife had a great week and my family had a great week.       It's totally different and it's definitely one that the motivation, I don't need to look far to motivate myself to try and get into the team next year, so much so that we are trying to putt plans in place just now. Q. The fact that the two games you played in didn't go your way, does that say something about the Ryder Cup that you can regard that as such a positive experience even though your contribution fell a bit short of what you wanted it to be? STEPHEN GALLACHER: Well, the first game, me and Ian didn't really gel real well. Didn't have any birdies. That was a tough one. But you know, I wasn't bored at all getting left out on the Saturday, a wee bit disappointed but nothing‑‑ there was no egos or nothing there. It's a team game. There's 12 guys and four have to sit out every session and I thought the four guys that sat out of the session were just immense. You know, so much so there was no negativity in the group and nothing, no cross words and there was nobody down, no self‑‑ pity, nothing like that and I was 4‑under against Phil Mickelson and he was 6‑under. He maybe had a point to prove now looking back at it. Q. You talk about already planning for the next one, do you have anything specific you can do, and you said it's going to help you going forward‑‑ in what kind of things will it help you? STEPHEN GALLACHER: Air is ex‑was great in how he spoke and taking some stuff from that and some of the team talks and speaking with a few of my players, my teammates, as well. You know, it's just finding the right pathway and scheduling. I might be doing some stuff with stats. I've never done stats before, and spoken to a few guys‑‑ Paul was heavily involved in the stats and that might be something, you know, if you can get a percentage here or there, slight help anywhere. I'm starting to do some fitness and gym work soon, because I'm getting to the ripe old age of 40 and you start to deteriorate muscles so I need to try to build it up. So the next picture with a kilt on, I'll probably have my top off (laughter). You know, I'm going to work even harder to try and get back to that, whatever it takes. Q. How much encouragement have Jamie Donaldson and yourself given to players on this side of the Atlantic? How much encouragement have they been given by seeing the events at Gleneagles? STEPHEN GALLACHER: Jamie was a good mate of mine, I was chuffed to see him being given the winning putt. He played great all week. He's had a fantastic year and he's turned out to be a hell of a player. Before you speak to him, you only have to look at the way he came back from a bit of adversity, a bit of injury and then Challenge Tour and then bang, now he's Ryder Cup and a Ryder Cup winner. You know, he hit the winning shot, and he plays here. So that's why we were talking heavily about schedules. It can be done from guys on our tour, and I think you'll find that it is hard to get in it, but if you play well, and you do well over this side, it's been done before. Paul Lawrie done it and Jiménez done it and Colsaerts has done it. So there's people who have done it from this tour. That's why we have come from over here and we're still going to play here. Q. How does your schedule pan out and what's your main goal for the rest of the season? STEPHEN GALLACHER: Haven't even thought of it. I don't know actually. I'm trying to finish as‑‑ I want to go up the World Rankings as much as I can. I've got The World Match Play‑‑ I'm not playing Portugal. I'm playing The World Match Play, and then I'm playing the last four and then I have a week off and Sun City. It's pretty full on to be honest, pretty full on, a little break and then it's back again to the desert. But I'm going to hopefully‑‑ there's a few mistakes I made this year where I was trying to ‑‑ I'm going to try to peak at better times. I don't know if I'm peaking at The Scottish Open and the Open this year and by the time I got to the Firestone and the PGA, I was absolutely running on empty. So I'm going to watch with what I'm going to do with regard to playing before and after the Majors next year. Maybe go out and play the week before and then take the week off after just to recover because it takes so much out of you, the major events, the big events, mentally and physically. I spoke to a few boys last week and just got their take on it, and I'm going to hopefully use that. Q. As a proud Scot, how proud were you of Gleneagles, the fans and the weather? STEPHEN GALLACHER: I thought it was‑‑ I thought the week was unbelievable to be honest. I thought the setting, the course, the logistics, the infrastructure was just bang on. Even Andy North, one of the vice captains came up to me and said, why don't they just lock this down and have the Ryder Cup forever in Scotland and we take it to a fixed place in America, somewhere equal, because it's just perfect here, the hotel, the setting, the course, everything about it. So if you've got someone telling you that, you know you've done your job. That's the way I look at it. I cannot do much about the weather but it was brilliant. Q. Dave Stockton had his allegiances with the final pairing that day; did he get in touch with you? STEPHEN GALLACHER: Yeah, gave me a word of encouragement. Sent me a text and said enjoy it, I'll be watching tomorrow, hopefully be rolling some putts in. He sent me a lovely text after, as well. We're all professionals here and it's the game of golf. He's a coach now, and he's a winning Ryder Cup Captain, as well. But I've got respect for Dave and he's got respect for the game, and you know, it's just nice to get encouragement from people that have been on the other team‑‑ he probably just group texted (laughter). MICHAEL GIBBONS: Stevie, thanks for joining us. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports |
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