Stephen Gallacher outguns Lee Westwood in thrilling first-day duel in English Legends
Scot gets off to flying start at Chart Hills in his bid to land Staysure Legends Tour triumph
Stephen Gallacher rose to the occasion alongside former world No 1 Lee Westwood to take a two-shot lead after the first round of the Staysure English Legends in Kent.
Westwood, making his Legends Tour debut as the Majesticks co-captain waits to discover what the future is going to be for LIV Golf next season, is the star attraction at Chart Hills.
The Englishman thrilled the home fans with a five-under-par 67 only to see that eclipsed by playing partner Gallacher as the Scot carded a brilliant bogey-free 65.
“I’m really happy. No bogeys, which is always good,” said Gallacher. “It’s going to get windy over the weekend, so it was a good chance to get a good score in early. When it’s only three rounds, you’ve got to try and get off to that fast start.”
With current Order of Merit leader Jamie Donaldson not in the field this week, Gallacher also has the opportunity to close the gap in the season-long race.
The four-time DP World Tour winner currently sits third in the standings and is searching for his first victory on the Staysure Legends Tour.
“It’s a brilliant design,” said Gallacher of the Sir Nick Faldo layout. “You’ve got to hit it both ways and you’ve got to think out there as well. You can’t overpower it. I managed my way around the course really well.”
Westwood was also pleased with his day’s work, with his score being matched later in the day by Swede Mikael Lundberg. David Drysdale is a short further back along with Peter Baker and Van Phillips.
“I played nicely,” said Westwood, who was one of Gallacher’s team-mates at the 2014 Ryder Cup at Gleneagles. “A lot of good putts didn’t go in, but I gave myself a lot of chances for birdie and hopefully they’ll start going in tomorrow.”
On being reunited with some long-time friends this week, he added: “It’s been brilliant. These are all the guys that I played amateur golf with and started playing on Tour with. I’ve not seen a lot of them for 20 years, so I’ve missed them. It’s nice to chat about the old times.”
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