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Wednesday, 5 February 2014 00:15 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}
Gallacher sank four bogeys on the front nine holes, but clawed back four shots after the turn in a gritty display to end on 272.
When it was suggested afterwards that he does not win easily, the 39-year-old Scotsman replied: “I never do. I never do. I mean, you know, you’ve only got a slender lead, you know these guys, all the guys behind me are all quality, class players. I just didn’t get off to a good start, but I had a good back nine again. So obviously it pulled me out of the, the woods again, the back nine.”
Gallacher said he’d had a fantastic week, especially playing in the pre-tournament Champions Challenge for past winners of the 25-year-old Classic, then starting the event itself alongside Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy.
“To be honest it was quite good this week having the Champions event with Tiger (Woods) and Rory (McIlroy) and that, it took a wee bit (of pressure) off me, to be honest, because it was nice just to play and that and then play in the pro-am. I had a good draw as well with Tiger and Rory so it was something different. It was, it was, been a fantastic week to be honest,” said Gallacher.
World number six McIlroy had the lead at one point on Sunday, but hit his tee shot at the par-three seventh into the water for a bogey and dropped three further shots between holes 10 and 13, dooming his hopes of ending a 14-month title drought on the European Tour as he slipped to a share of ninth.
“Yeah it was just one of those days, I mean. It was one of those, it, like anything that sort of could go wrong did, like I didn’t -- OK I hit a couple of loose drives but, you know, I didn’t really get away with them or, you know,stuff like that. But yeah just, sort of, one of those days,” said McIlroy.
