By Kent Gray
In an ideal world, Stephen Gallacher would get to celebrate his 600th European Tour start in front of his home fans in Scotland. In the real world, the milestone will be marked in Dubai which is perhaps just as fitting.

Gallacher will become just the 14th player to reach 600 appearances when he tees it up in the $1.5 million AVIV Dubai Championship on the Fire course at Jumeirah Golf Estates today.

Half of the 47-year-old’s four European Tour victories have come in Dubai – back-to-back victories in 2013 and 2014 coming during a career purple patch that includes earning a pick from captain Paul McGinley for 16½-11½ Ryder Cup triumph over Tom Watson’s USA team at Gleneagles in 2014.

Gallacher’s maiden European Tour win was also sweetly achieved in Scotland and sealed at the Home of Golf, St. Andrews no less, a playoff win over Graeme McDowell for the 2004 Alfred Dunhill Links Championship title.

The Bathgate player – nephew of another European Tour legend Bernard Gallacher – made his professional debut on the European Tour in 1996. His most recent win was at the 2019 Hero Indian Open, a victory in New Delhi made even more special by the fact that his son Jack was carrying his bag.

“Obviously I’m very proud to reach this number,” said Gallacher. “It’s one of those ones that creeps up on you. When I reached 500, that was pretty good to do and there have been a lot of guys that have done it, but 600 is a bit more special. Here’s to 700 now.”

That is for the future. For now, the Scot paid tribute to Dubai’s role in a memorable career, and the emergence of the DP World Tour, as the European Tour will be known from 2022.

“Dubai is the place that put me on the map, helped me get in the Ryder Cup with my second win here in 2014. I just love it here and I love coming over. There’s something in the air that brings the best out in me, so I’m delighted to do it here,” said Gallacher who opens the AVIV Dubai Championship at 7.30am on Thursday in the company of defending champion Antonie Rozner and Ryder Cup captain Padraig Harrington.

“I think it’s important to give back to the game, especially coming from the Home of Golf, and we’re such a small country. It’s great to see that golf is blooming in Scotland now.

“I’ve been doing my Foundation for almost 10 years and we don’t do it just to see people come on tour – it’s more about participation levels – but it’s nice to see players who have played in your own events and then come through to the European Tour. It’s in great health now, golf in Scotland, and it’s great to see.”

On Tuesday’s DP World Tour announcement, Gallacher can only see benefits.

“When Tommy [Fleetwood], Adrian Meronk, Dean Burmeister and myself all saw it yesterday first hand [as VIPs at Tuesday’s media conference at Expo 2020], we were all unanimous that it was a great thing to happen for golf.

“I think we are in a strong place right now. I think to have the Strategic Alliance with the PGA Tour and now have the backing of DP World and all our other main sponsors – Rolex, BMW and all the other contributors – I think we are in a really strong place at the moment.

“And to hear [PGA Tour Commissioner] Jay Monahan’s words yesterday really cemented the fact how much we are working together.”

A member of the European Tour’s Tournament Committee, Gallacher represented Scotland three times in the World Cup – in 2005, 2011 and 2013 –  and represented Great Britain and Ireland in the 2013 Seve Trophy, while he also represented Europe on two occasions in addition to the 2014 Ryder Cup – in the 2013 Royal Trophy and the 2014 EurAsia Cup.

He becomes the fourth Scot to reach 600 European Tour events, after Sam Torrance, Colin Montgomerie and Paul Lawrie. The most recent player to reach 600 events was Denmark’s Søren Kjeldsen at the 2020 Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship.

The 13 other players to have reached 600 events are:

715 – Miguel Ángel Jiménez
706 – Sam Torrance
693 – Barry Lane
683 – David Howell
662 – Raphaël Jacquelin
639 – Søren Kjeldsen
632 – Robert Karlsson
628 – Colin Montgomerie
620 – Paul Lawrie
618 – Roger Chapman
612 – Eamonn Darcy
602 – Malcolm Mackenzie
600 – Peter Baker