Golf: Gallacher predicts a tough test in Open

STEPHEN GALLACHER, Scottish golf's man of the moment, says there will be nothing simple about the Old Course at St Andrews in this week's Open Championship.

The Lothians star is heading into the world's oldest major on the crest of a wave, having maintained his recent red-hot form by finishing in a tie for fourth in the Barclays Scottish Open at Loch Lomond.

But Gallacher, a winner at St Andrews six years ago in the Dunhill Links Championship, is expecting the R&A to set the toughest of tests for the Open's 150th anniversary.

"Having played in the first two rounds of an Open there (in 2005] I know what to expect," said the 35-year-old. "It's not as simple as the Dunhill - I remember seeing some of the flags in places I hadn't seen them before."

Gallacher believes the R&A have taken some measures to try and speed up play, which is normally a problem on the world's most famous course.

"St Andrews is poor for pace of play because of players hitting it down the left," he added. "I was speaking to a couple of R&A guys and they said they were trying to force people down the right a bit more - but good luck to them with that."

As Gallacher prepares to make his first Open appearance for five years, few other players in the field can surely be feeling more confident than the man who was born and bred in Bathgate but now lives in nearby Linlithgow.

He's never looked back since tying for fourth place in the BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth six weeks ago and is now up to 18th - a rise of ten spots - in the Race to Dubai after a sparkling display at Loch Lomond.

A closing 68 for a seven- under-par total looked as though it was going to be good enough to secure third spot.

But, in the group behind him, Frenchman Raphael Jacquelin holed a huge birdie putt on the final green to push Gallacher down a place.

His effort, though, was still the best performance by a Scot in the event since Colin Montgomerie finished third in 2000.

"I'm delighted with that, especially when the weather was so bad when we were teeing off," he said.

Playing with former Open champion John Daly and Ryder Cup hopeful Alvaro Quiros, Gallacher dropped a shot at the second but repaired the damage with back-to-back birdies at the next two.

He repeated that feat on the back nine - at the 13th and 14th - before dropping a shot at the 16th but finished in style, holing from 25 feet for a birdie at the last.

"It was a nice way to finish," he conceded. "I played the hole really well, hitting a 3-wood into the perfect position and following that with a lovely 8-iron and then a good putt.

"It doesn't bother me, though, that I'm the highest-placed Scot here since Monty in 2000 - I'm just happy that I got the job done today."

Gallacher earned 127,400 to take his earnings for the last six weeks to not far off 450,000.

"I'm hoping to get into the top 100 in the world rankings to get into the USPGA Championship and I'm going the right way."

Another good finish at St Andrews might even get him there and he's certainly sav- ouring the prospect of a return to the scene of his European Tour breakthrough six years ago.

"I like St Andrews and it's brilliant to be playing there," he said.

"I've got some good memories of playing there, having hit some good shots under pressure, and I can't wait."

As Italian Edoardo Molinari claimed the 500,000 top prize after a closing 74 saw him finish three ahead of Darren Clarke on 12-under, David Drysdale shared 26th spot on two-over with two fellow Scots, Martin Laird and Craig Lee.

"It was a pretty average performance from start to finish," declared Drysdale, who nevertheless earned just over 27,000 for his efforts.

He was also in the money after last night's World Cup Final, having backed Spain to win and the Dutch each-way before the tournament started in South Africa.

"It doesn't bother me that I'm the highest-placed Scot here since Monty in 2000"

STEPHEN GALLACHER