Stephen Gallacher rolled out the welcome mat to Scotland’s new recruits on the European Tour and told them not to change a thing now that they’ve made it to the top table.
A terrific season for the tartan contingent on the Challenge Tour ended with Grant Forrest, Robert MacIntyre, Liam Johnston and David Law sealing promotion from the rankings at the conclusion of the Grand Final in the UAE.
Of 15 graduates in total, four from the cradle of the game was a pretty good strike rate. At a time when we’ve been crying out for a fresh injection of young talent on the main tour, the
Scottish quartet answered the rallying cry in fine style. Getting on the tour is one thing. Thriving on it is another. The hard work really begins now but Gallacher, a hardy perennial of the circuit, is confident his countrymen will rise to the challenge.
“The best bit of advice I can give is not to change anything,” said the former Ryder Cup player. “Just do the same stuff you’ve been doing. It’s got you here so keep going and look forward to it.
“Coming up from the Challenge Tour means you know you have a full year and you can plan a schedule. When you come through the qualifying school you can often get a lot of last minute call ups and it’s hard to plan anything.
“These lads will know what they are in and what they are not so they can map out their year. They’ll be fresh and keen which is great and they’ll
probably want to play in the first three or four.
“I’m delighted for the four of them and I can’t praise them highly enough really. They all fed off each other and they all started doing well. The confidence was breeding in them.”
With the tour’s qualifying school still ongoing, there could be a few more additions to the Scottish ranks for 2019.
Meanwhile, a good weekend for the domestic game was bolstered in the USA as Aberdeen’s Gemma Dryburgh regained her place on the LPGA Tour at the end of a gruelling, eight-round qualifying series.
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