Bathgate man Bernard Gallacher to become PGA captain

Bernard Gallacher followed in Eric Brown's footsteps as a Ryder Cup captain '“ and now he's set to join his fellow Bathgate man in another select band.

Bernard Gallacher

Gallacher has accepted an invitation to become captain of the Professional Golfers’ Association and will take up the post in April 2021.

It will see him join not only Brown but also JH Taylor, Ted Ray, George Duncan, Henry Cotton, Bernard Hunt and Dai Rees to have captained both the PGA and a Ryder Cup team.

“Despite my success in tournaments and involvement with the Ryder Cup as a player and captain, first and foremost I have always regarded myself as a club pro,” said Lothians legend Gallacher, who turned professional in 1967.

“I am a proud PGA member and I am honoured and humbled to have been asked to captain the Association.”

The 69-year-old won 22 professional tournaments, a remarkable achievement given that those successes were achieved during his tenure as head PGA pro at Wentworth. He also played in eight Ryder Cup matches and represented Scotland in the World Cup five times.

Reflecting on his dual role as club pro and tournament player, Gallacher said: “There’s no chance that could happen now. The demands on Tour players make that an impossibility. Similarly, the role of Ryder Cup captain is a full-time one – that wasn’t the case in my day.

PGA chief executive Rob Maxfield said of Gallacher: “Although he has been one of the most high-profile and respected figures in golf for almost 50 years and still is, he has never forgotten his roots and calling as a PGA Professional.”