Introduction
Stephen James Gallacher (born 1 November 1974) is a Scottish professional golfer who plays on the European Tour.
Gallacher was born in Dechmont, West Lothian and is the nephew of former European Ryder Cup captain Bernard Gallacher and cousin of Sky Sports news presenter Kirsty Gallacher. He played in a victorious Walker Cup side in 1995 and turned professional later that year.
Gallacher first played on the European Tour in 1996, but struggled to begin with. In 2000, however, he reached the top hundred on the Order of Merit for the first time, placing 56th. In 2004 he recorded his first win on the tour at the Dunhill Links Championship, which is one of the richest golf tournaments in Europe, and finished the year ranked 15th on the Order of Merit.
In February 2013, Gallacher ended a 201-tournament wait for his second victory on the European Tour, when he won the Omega Dubai Desert Classic by three strokes. He held the lead going into the final round after he shot his best career round of 62 on the European Tour in the third round. Despite two bogeys in his first two holes, Gallacher clinched victory with an eagle on the 16th hole. The win moved Gallacher back into the world's top 100.
The following year, Gallacher defended his title with a one stroke victory at the 2014 Omega Dubai Desert Classic for his third European Tour victory. He is the first golfer to ever successfully defend the title.
Gallacher was picked as one of the three wild-cards by Paul McGinley for the 2014 Ryder Cup.
Amateur wins (7)
- 1991 Scottish Boys Strokeplay Championship
- 1992 Scottish Boys Strokeplay Championship, Scottish Amateur Championship
- 1994 European Amateur Individual Championship, Scottish Youths Amateur Championship
- 1995 Scottish Amateur Open Stroke Play Championship, Lytham Trophy
Professional wins (4)
European Tour wins (3)
| No. | Date | Tournament | Winning score | Margin of victory |
Runner-up |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 10 Oct 2004 | Dunhill Links Championship | −19 (70-66-66-67=269) | Playoff |  Graeme McDowell |
| 2 | 3 Feb 2013 | Omega Dubai Desert Classic | −22 (63-70-62-71=266) | 3 strokes |  Richard Sterne |
| 3 | 2 Feb 2014 | Omega Dubai Desert Classic (2) | −16 (66-71-63-72=272) | 1 stroke |  Emiliano Grillo |
European Tour playoff record (1–2)
| No. | Year | Tournament | Opponent(s) | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2004 | Dunhill Links Championship | Graeme McDowell |
Won with birdie on first extra hole |
| 2 | 2013 | Johnnie Walker Championship at Gleneagles |  Tommy Fleetwood, Ricardo González |
Fleetwood won with birdie on first extra hole |
| 3 | 2014 | Nordea Masters |  Victor Dubuisson,  Thongchai Jaidee |
Jaidee won with birdie on first extra hole |
Challenge Tour wins (1)
| No. | Date | Tournament | Winning score | Margin of victory |
Runner-up |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 7 Jun 1998 | KB Golf Challenge | −14 (63-71-69-67=270) | 2 strokes |  Erol Simsek |
Results in major championships
| Tournament | 1995 | 1996 | 1997 | 1998 | 1999 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Masters Tournament | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP |
| U.S. Open | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP |
| The Open Championship | CUT | DNP | DNP | DNP | CUT |
| PGA Championship | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP |
| Tournament | 2000 | 2001 | 2002 | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Masters Tournament | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP |
| U.S. Open | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | CUT | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP |
| The Open Championship | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | CUT | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP |
| PGA Championship | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | CUT | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP |
| Tournament | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Masters Tournament | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | T34 | CUT |
| U.S. Open | DNP | CUT | DNP | DNP | CUT | CUT |
| The Open Championship | T23 | T57 | DNP | T21 | T15 | CUT |
| PGA Championship | T18 | CUT | DNP | T61 | CUT | CUT |
DNP = Did not play
CUT = missed the half-way cut
"T" = tied
Yellow background for top-10.
Summary
| Tournament | Wins | 2nd | 3rd | Top-5 | Top-10 | Top-25 | Events | Cuts made |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Masters Tournament | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 |
| U.S. Open | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 |
| The Open Championship | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 8 | 4 |
| PGA Championship | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 6 | 2 |
| Totals | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 20 | 7 |
- Most consecutive cuts made – 3 (2013 Open Championship – 2014 Masters)
- Longest streak of top-10s – 0
Team appearances
Amateur
- Jacques Léglise Trophy (representing Great Britain & Ireland): 1992 (winners)
- Eisenhower Trophy (representing Great Britain & Ireland): 1994
- Walker Cup (representing Great Britain & Ireland): 1995 (winners)
Professional
- World Cup (representing Scotland): 2005, 2011, 2013
- Seve Trophy (representing Great Britain & Ireland): 2013
- Royal Trophy (representing Europe): 2013 (winners)
- EurAsia Cup (representing Europe): 2014
- Ryder Cup (representing Europe): 2014 (winners)