Bernard Gallacher

Bernard Gallacher is a Scottish retired professional golfer. He captained the Europe team to victory in the 1995 Ryder Cup.

Early life and amateur career

Gallacher was born in Bathgate in West Lothian, Scotland. He took up golf at the age of eleven.
In 1965, he won the Lothians Golf Association Boys Championship. He won the 1967 Scottish Amateur Open Stroke Play Championship and turned professional the same year.

Professional career

He won the Sir Henry Cotton Rookie of the Year award in 1968. His first professional wins came in 1969; a pair of them in Zambia and another pair in Europe in the equivalent of European Tour events. He finished 1969 as Order of merit winner earning the Harry Vardon Trophy.
He accumulated ten wins on the European Tour between 1974 and 1984 and finished in the top ten on the European Tour Order of Merit five times between 1972 and 1982, with a best placing of third in 1974.
In 1969, at the age of 20, Gallacher became the youngest man to represent Great Britain in the Ryder Cup up to that time. This record was subsequently beaten by Nick Faldo and others. He went on to play in the Ryder Cup eight times and was non-playing captain of the European Team in 1991, 1993 and 1995. All three of those matches were very close; Europe lost the first two but won the third.
After turning 50, Gallacher played on the European Seniors Tour. His first senior win came at The Mobile Cup in 2002.
Gallacher was the professional at the Wentworth Club near London for 25 years until the end of 1996. He wrote a column for Scottish golf magazine bunkered from 1998 until 2008.

Private life

Gallacher's daughter Kirsty was a presenter on Sky Sports News for 20 years. Another daughter, blogger and former restaurateur Laura Gallacher, is married to English comedian Russell Brand.
Gallacher is uncle to professional golfer Stephen Gallacher, European Tour winner and Ryder Cup player.
In August 2014, Gallacher was one of 200 public figures who were signatories to a letter to The Guardian opposing Scottish independence in the run-up to September's [2014 Scotland|Scottish independence referendum|referendum on that issue].

Awards and honors

In 1968, Gallacher earned the Sir Henry Cotton Rookie of the Year award, bestowed to the British PGA's Rookie of the Year.
In 1969, he won the British PGA's Order of Merit thereby earning the, Harry Vardon Trophy.
In 1996, Gallacher was awarded the OBE for services to golf.
On 19 March 2010, a life size bronze sculpture of Gallacher, in teing-off position, was unveiled close to the first tee of the West Course at the Wentworth Club, England.
In November 2013, The Scottish Golf Awards, jointly organized by the Scottish Golf Union and the Scottish Ladies’ Golfing Association, announced Gallacher to be honoured with the 2013 Lifetime Achievement Award, which he received at the Scottish Golf Awards gala on 28 February 2014 in Glasgow.
In August 2022, Gallacher received the honour of Life Membership of Professional Golfers' Association.