Golf: Gallacher looking to home in on glory

STEPHEN GALLACHER is hoping home comfort can be the key to success in the two biggest events of his season.

He's travelling from his home in Linlithgow for this week's Barclays Scottish Open at Loch Lomond and will be doing exactly the same during next week's Open Championship at St Andrews.

"You don't often get the chance to sleep in your own bed when you're playing a tournament and I'm lucky that I can do that two weeks running," said Gallacher.

"I was 55 minutes to Loch Lomond and I'm probably an hour to St Andrews - I know the back roads in Fife as I've been going up there for years.

"My dad is going to drive me up each day, so I can lie back and chill out."

By travelling to and from the world's oldest major, the former Dunhill Links champion is delighted he'll avoid what he described as a "bunfight".

He added: "I'm hoping I've learned a bit from playing in Majors before when you get caught up a bit and over practice.

"Also, you're out of your routine and can't get into any restaurants.

"What I'm planning to do is go up on the Monday and get all my passes and just hit a few balls.

"Then, at half six on the Tuesday morning, I'll play a practice round along with Simon Khan and a couple of other guys.

"On the Wednesday, I will maybe just go up and play five or nine holes or something like that." Sleeping in his own bed certainly seemed to do the trick for Gallacher in the first round of the 3 million Barclays Scottish Open.

A four-under-par 67 saw him end the opening day with only four players above him on the leaderboard and he revealed extra time spent on chipping and putting has been the secret of his recent success.

"There's no point in working on your strengths - you've got to work on your weaknesses," he said.

"My putting was helped straight away when I changed to a two-thumb grip but I also spend a lot more time these days chipping and putting - probably three to one. I do a lot of drills, two-handed, one-handed, eyes shut from five feet and ones to help my pace-putting as they help when you are trying to save par."

David Drysdale made par on no less than 16 occasions in his opening round as he signed for a level-par 71.

Like Gallacher, he watched a number of chances slip agonisingly past the hole, admitting the wind had made putting particularly difficult.

"It was quite tough in the wind," he said. "The holes were cut in some funky places on the side of slopes so you had to be careful that you weren't racing putts well past.

"The overhead conditions were the most difficult they've been in the last few years. It was tough at times to know where the wind was actually coming from.

You think you knew where it was but it seemed to be swirling about."

For today's second round, Drysdale was probably going to have abandoned the driver he used yesterday in favour of one he had in the bag for last week's French Open.

"I put a new driver in (for the first round] and didn't drive very well - every one was a high block," he said.

"I split the driver I've used for three-and-a-half years in practice about three weeks. I've hit so many balls with it over that time, I suppose.

"I've had six that are supposed to be exactly the same but just not the same. I just have to keep persevering and I think I'll go back to one I used in France last week in the second round."

Both Gallacher and Drysdale were hoping the weather gods were going to smile on them today, when the later starters were expected to avoid some heavy early-morning rain.

"It would be nice to think it would clear up around 1.30," admitted Drysdale.

East Lothian-based Richie Ramsay, who outscored playing partners Retief Goosen and Vijay Singh as he opened with a 69, is giving serious thought to heading to America this winter to prepare himself properly for next season.

In addition to the fact his girlfriend is American, Ramsay is an honorary member at the Golf Club of Georgia and intends to use the excellent practice facilities there to sharpen up his short game.

"I've got the experience I need and the first win under my belt and now got to try and push on," he said.

"I'm going to do things this winter that will change my preparation and make it easier to compete.

"When I stand up on the first tee at the start of next year, I want to be ready. This year, Ian Poulter, who had been practising at Lake Nona, came out straight away and was holing putts.

"I'd been at home in the snow and couldn't get out and even hit any balls. Although I played well, I didn't have the inward belief that I had yesterday. You need to hit the ground running. I've been granted this membership at Atlanta Golf Club which gives me a great opportunity and worked a bit with Bob Rotella and feel it is the mind and short game that are the two major things.

"Look out there and you don't see a massive difference in ball striking, but some people are better at getting job done when not playing so well. I think Retief and Vijay are like that.

It's something I need to get as that will make me a better player."

Andrew Coltart, who lives in Edinburgh, had a first-round 75, ten shots more than leader Darren Clarke, who has twice finished runner-up at Loch Lomond and launched his latest title bid with a bogey-free round in the worst of the conditions on the opening day.

The Ulsterman led by a shot from Italian Edoardo Molinari, Engand's Graeme Storm and Damien McGrane of Ireland, with Gallacher a further stroke back in a group that also included John Daly.

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