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THE BARCLAYS SCOTTISH OPEN

July 11, 2010

Stephen Gallacher

LUSS, SCOTLAND

Q. You spoke yesterday about targeting as high up the Top-10 as possible, tied third the moment.
STEPHEN GALLACHER: Delighted, especially with the weather when we were teeing off, so I'll take that.

Q. You are going to St. Andrews where you've won before in the Dunhill links and beat the reigning U.S. Open Champion, so things are looking pretty good at the moment.
STEPHEN GALLACHER: Well, I like the course. I like St. Andrews. It's just brilliant to be playing The Open there. I think this week's probably going to be quite a good warmup for it with the wind, and I hear the weather is to be the same. Looking forward it. Can't wait.

Q. You're the highest-finishing Scot in ten years since Monty back in 2000, how does that feel?
STEPHEN GALLACHER: Doesn't bother me at all. I'm just quite happy to get the job done today. It was good.

Q. Good to see you back in good health and performing so well, must be good to do so in front of your friends and family?
STEPHEN GALLACHER: Yeah, there's always a wee bit more pressure when you think that way, but I would rather have them here watching me than not watching me.

Q. Nice way to finish.
STEPHEN GALLACHER: Yeah, it was good. I actually played the hole really well. My caddie said it was 3-wood off the tee because of the wind, so I hit 3-wood into the perfect position, left me a lovely iron and I just hit a really good putt.

Q. Not many people played steady today; does that show you the state of your game now?
STEPHEN GALLACHER: It was pleasing. I hit one bogey that I missed from four foot at the second and I hit it behind the tree at 16, a foot out of the way and I would have been all right.
I'm delighted. The front nine was outrageous, just tried to play safe and hit your shot and keep the ball under control, which was good.

Q. You will go to St. Andrews with a lot of confidence?
STEPHEN GALLACHER: I was saying to Richie (Ramsay) at the last, this is going to be pretty good preparation when you think about it. Alvaro (Quiros) said the forecast will be pretty much like that till Friday. It's not a bad way -- I said that yesterday, it's the same wide fairways but you have to hit on the right side.

Q. You also know you can win at St. Andrews; you've done it.
STEPHEN GALLACHER: I've got some good memories, anyway, that's the main thing. As long as you have good memories, you can recall good shots and you have the chance really.
Alvaro, when he was hitting shots up into the wind, just controlling the ball, you couldn't really have a slash at it, but when he had to, he put it on 13 in two, no danger of me doing that.

Q. Dunhill apart, if you did finish third, is that the most satisfying performance of your year?
STEPHEN GALLACHER: I think the PGA was probably the most satisfying because it was early on in the year, and that course was really demanding with the wind, as well, and I played a decent last round and shot under par. A finish fourth there -- it's just I'm playing really well and I had a pretty good day today again. I'm playing well. I've been practising hard. I had a few putts go a bit amiss yesterday, but apart from that, it was pretty solid.

Q. Four Top-10s in six weeks.
STEPHEN GALLACHER: Yeah, it will be, I'm not really -- I'm just playing.

Q. Will you play --
STEPHEN GALLACHER: No, I think I probably won't play Sweden. Probably go to my cousin's wedding with the family going out to Seville. I'll probably do that to be honest.

Q. So in The Race to Dubai, as well.
STEPHEN GALLACHER: That was another one of my goals to get in the Top-100 to maybe nip the PGA, another of my kind of goals because I think Top-100 gets in there, doesn't it. So I'm going the right way. That's all you can do. I can only control what I can control. Just got to try and work my hardest and set goals that are hopefully reachable.

Q. What's the goal next week?
STEPHEN GALLACHER: Well, I've never made a cut at a Major to start with, so to play four days would be nice.
I know I've played the first two days there and I know how -- it's not as simple as the Dunhill. I can remember some of the flags thinking, my, I've never seen a flag there before. So I kind of know what to expect this year.

Q. Pace of play today?
STEPHEN GALLACHER: It was pretty slow today, as well. I think the weather dictates that. But St. Andrews is particularly poor for pace of play because you're hitting it left all day and I spoke to a couple of R&A guys and they are trying to get you to force it down the right, but good luck.

Q. Some of the sponsors that you've got, they are all local companies?
STEPHEN GALLACHER: Yeah, Audi, Kingsfield, they are all within a mile, two miles of my house.

Q. You must be pleased.
STEPHEN GALLACHER: Yeah, well I'm pleased -- and they are all here today, as well, so it's good for them to walk around and see, as well.

End of FastScripts

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