Golf: Gallacher finds golden touch again

LOTHIANS star Stephen Gallacher catapulted himself into top spot among the Scots in the Race to Dubai after his classy display in the BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth.

The Bathgate man, who closed with excellent rounds of 69 and 70 to finish fourth behind England's Simon Khan, picked up 225,000 for his fourth place finish in the European Tour's flagship event.

And, in doing so, he leapt to 28th in the Race to Dubai rankings – 16 spots above the next best Scot, South African Open champion Richie Ramsay.

Gallacher, who earned a late invitation for the event, secured his Tour card for next season in one fell swoop – his earnings for the season now stand at just over 336,000 – and can play for the rest of the campaign without any added pressure.

The former Scottish amateur champion missed the second half of last season due to a debilitating illness but returned to give a great account of himself at the end-of-year Tour School.

He made eight cuts in a row before making an early exit in the recent BMW Italian Open but Gallacher's display at Wentworth will have given him confidence that he can add to his sole success to date on the European Tour, in the Dunhill Links Championship.

Englishman Khan, just six months after his worst-ever feeling in golf, woke up today to discover his best-ever moment was not just a dream.

From the depths of 471st in the world the 37-year-old from Essex really did win at Wentworth.

On his wife Lesley's birthday – all he has bought so far is a card – Khan really beat five of the game's top ten and really did win more than 637,000.

For a player who had only one top-ten finish all last season and had to make a tenth trip to the Tour qualifying school it was truly life-changing stuff.

"I love the Tour so much and to lose your card... that was the worst I've ever felt," he said. "This has got to be the best, without a doubt."

Nobody in the history of the event had ever won from seven behind with a round to go, but while overnight leader Chris Wood stumbled to a 77 – as did his nearest challenger Robert Karlsson – Khan shot a four-under-par 67.

A closing 20-foot birdie putt, which hung on the back edge before dropping, took him one ahead of Swede Fredrik Andersson Hed, but left him level with Luke Donald. But the Ryder Cup star was unable to stay in touch on his two closing par fives.