Golf: Shattered Gallacher set for break for Tour competition

The 35-year-old will probably not be back in action on the European Tour until the Vivendi Trophy in France towards the end of next month.

Gallacher admitted he was needing to try to re-charge his batteries after a disappointing finish to the Johnnie Walker Championship at Gleneagles.

Two shots off the lead going into the final round of the 1.4m event, he eventually tied for 14th after a closing 77.

He's still risen two places to 21st in the Race to Dubai but is now set to miss the next three events - the European Masters, the KLM Open in Holland and the Austrian Open.

"I'm probably going to take three weeks off now and take a complete break," Gallacher told the Evening News. "I didn't get into Switzerland this week anyway and I wasn't going to be playing in Austria.

"That means the KLM Open is the only event from my proposed schedule that I'd be missing.

"I'm shattered after not having a day off in the last three weeks. I'm playing in a charity event at The Renaissance on Monday and after that I think I'll put my clubs away."

Gallacher says he's actually probably more in need of some time on the range at the Kingsfield Golf Centre outside Linlithgow at the moment than another tournament.

"I'm desperate for a couple weeks' practice," he added. "I've been struggling a bit all week and the (windy] conditions today amplified things.

"My short game got me into this position but you can't rely on that all the time. I'm probably about four greens down a round in regulation in the last couple of weeks."

On his closing effort at Gleneagles, Gallacher said: "I didn't play well. I got off to a bad start and it was just one of those days.

"You had to shape a few shots out there and I just wan't striking it well enough to keep control of the ball in the wind.

"You can only learn from these experiences and I know that I need to be playing a bit better.

"I'm a bit disappointed but when I look back on it another top-20 finish is going to be good.

"It shows how far my game has come on. Once I start playing well I'll be laughing."

MUSSELBURGH'S Vikki Laing holed her second shot for an eagle at the last in clinching second spot behind South Africa's Lee-Anne Pace at the Finnair Masters in Finland. The on-form Scot, who was also runner-up to Pace in Switzerland earlier in the season, closed with a 69 to finish three shots behind Pace.

RAYMOND Russell is on course to be back on the European Tour next season after finishing second in the SWALEC Wales Challenge. The 38-year-old has leapt 12 places up to 13th on the Challenge Tour Order of Merit thanks to the 13,500 he picked up at the Vale Resort, near Cardiff.

n CATRIONA MATTHEW finished just outside the top 21 after a closing 74 left her nine shots behind winner Michelle Wie in the Canadian Women's Open.

n CRAIGIELAW'S Grant Forrest finished with one point from his four matches as Great Britain & Ireland Boys lost 15-8 to their Continent of Europe counterparts in the Jacques Leglise in Italy.