Golf Digest/MALLORCA OPEN: Stephen Gallacher has his sights set on securing a US Masters debut following his victory in the Dunhill Links championship.
Gallacher beat Northern Ireland's Graeme McDowell on the first hole of a play-off at St Andrews on Sunday to claim his first European Tour title. The win lifted the 29-year-old from 177th in the world rankings to a career-high 68th, and to 12th on the Order of Merit. If he can stay inside the top 15 on the money list until the end of the season, he will qualify for three of next year's four major championships, securing his debut in the US Open and USPGA.
The Scot is also out to secure his place at Augusta in April by finishing in the top 50 in the world at the end of the season, and is looking to move a step closer this week at Pula GC.
"Last week was a career change for me and the goalposts have moved a wee bit," admitted Gallacher. "I had been knocking on the door for so long and to do it at St Andrews is like a dream come true."
Ireland's Peter Lawrie, Gary Murphy, Damien McGrane and Philip Walton will compete for the winner's cheque of £115,00.
Gallacher's first prize of £445,000 last week is almost four times the amount on offer on the Balearic island but that has not deterred Sergio Garcia from playing. Garcia has turned down the chance to win £1 million in the World Matchplay at Wentworth. The 24-year-old will be favourite to win his first title on home soil since the 2002 Spanish Open as he plays in the 10th of 11 events he needs to fulfil membership of the European Tour.
Jose Maria Olazabal is also competing alongside former British Open champion Paul Lawrie but last year's winner Miguel Angel Jimenez competes at Wentworth.
The event is also the penultimate chance for players to earn enough money to secure their card for next season, with the top 115 on the Order of Merit certain of playing rights for 2005.
Among those fighting for survival is England's Jamie Spence, who broke down in tears 12 months ago after finishing third here to keep his card, and Scotland's Gary Orr.
CHALLENGE TOUR: Dubliner Stephen Browne is looking to continue where he left off in Morocco last week at the Donnington Grove Computacenter English Challenge Open as he tries to break into the European Challenge Tour's top 15 and secure a place on the 2005 European Tour with just two events of the season remaining.
Browne closed the Attijari Wafa-Tikida Beach Moroccan Classic in Agadir with an excellent round of 65 to tie David Higgins for fifth place, and knows that similar form would put him close to the Challenge Tour's elite going into the Bouygues Telecom Grand Final next weekend.
"I don't think the conditions could be any different between Newbury and Morocco," laughed Browne, "but I will be trying to play as I did last week. It's a hard time of the season because we are at that stage where everybody is getting a little bit nervous. I've a bit of work to do to make it to the top 15 and win one of the cards, but I am playing well at the moment and hopefully a good couple of results over the next two weeks will see me there - it would be a brilliant finish to the season."
Browne is joined at the Donnington Grove Country Club by Higgins as well as Colm Moriarty and Tim Rice.
