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JOHNNIE WALKER CHAMPIONSHIP AT GLENEAGLES

August 30, 2008

Stephen Gallacher

GLENEAGLES, SCOTLAND

MICHAEL GIBBONS: Lowest round of the week, you must be extremely pleased with that.
STEPHEN GALLACHER: Yeah, I started well. I said to Bob this morning on the range, you can take advantage of the par 5s with it being sort of calm today. There are five of them you can maybe reach where you struggle to get up on just one of them today. Luckily for me I've done that today.

Q. You've been threatening this, haven't you.
STEPHEN GALLACHER: Yeah, I've been playing well. I played well in July and then I got a bit of sort of three weeks off and that knocked me back a wee bit. After Russia had a break. My short game has been pretty poor. Basically I've been hitting the ball really well and I've done some work with Stephen Feeney, and it's just the way how you line up to the ball and stuff. I wasn't aiming properly.
Everything else was good, stroke was good so just not aiming right. And so I've putted lovely the last couple of days, or I've had the chance.

Q. Bob talks about you being the best-ball striker on the range. Obviously that's one aspect of your game where you must be pleased and other aspects coming together now?
STEPHEN GALLACHER: Yeah, I hit the ball pretty good and it's nice to hear that from Bob, he's been around for a long time.
Unfortunately it's not about hitting the ball it's about scoring. It's basically scoring. If you watch all of the guys that consistently play well, their short games are mustard -- I spoke to my uncle about that, as well. That's what he said when he was at top of his game, 27 putts a round, average, and that's massive.

Q. You finished so well at Loch Lomond in that final round, looking back on it, is that quite a significant thing for the way that you've kicked on since then?
STEPHEN GALLACHER: Well, when you know you can do it in the last round, it's pretty good. That was pretty similar. Today I think I only missed one green or something like that and it was pretty similar.
So it's always good to do it when you're staying at home and stuff like that as well.

Q. Did your Uncle Bernard offer you any advice at the time?
STEPHEN GALLACHER: Not really. I've hit some balls and chips and stuff like that. He was just more with the wedge. His wedge play was outstanding, from 70 yards, 120 yards, and that's what he was talking to me about. He mentioned Neil Coles, Neil Coles was on the range and he was only hitting down to 7-iron. Bernhard said he stole that from him because he just focuses on sort of his short game and stuff.

Q. Presumably you think greens here are fantastic.
STEPHEN GALLACHER: The best I've ever seen. (Laughter).
I said the other day, I would think they have -- what was it, 200-something millimetres of rain; normally 80. Everywhere in Scotland is under severe water. I don't know what they are doing. It's just that type of greens. Are they going to make them like the other two greens -- yeah? Well, the other two greens are brick hard. Just shows you the different underneath it, the different drainage.
But they are getting better as the week goes on, as they dry out.

Q. The last two years, the course has been criticism what is your take as a Ryder Cup venue?
STEPHEN GALLACHER: Well, they are definitely make it tougher that's for sure. The tee at 9, they had the tee forward today from 60 yards back. Just making it really, really tough. It's the longest, hardest walk of the year and longest course of the year, feels like, anyway. I think it's just up to us to make it really tough and they are getting there.

Q. Coming from a family which is obviously a Ryder Cup specialty, what would it mean if there no Scots on the team this year?
STEPHEN GALLACHER: That's more for the media than me, the sort of hype about it. It's just how well you play in two years, isn't it. I love The Ryder Cup. I've been brought up watching it and it's a long-term ambition of mine to get in. You never know, he may get in yet. Colin may get the nod but who knows with Nick.
MICHAEL GIBBONS: Thank you.

End of FastScripts

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