Stephen Gallacher admitted he was “going through the motions” but there was no cause for alarm as he started poorly in his final event before next week’s Ryder Cup.
None of the four Ryder Cup players in the ISPS Handa Wales Open really set Celtic Manor ablaze in Thursday’s first round but the Scot’s seven-over 78, without a single birdie and ending with a dispiriting three-putt par at the last, was by some distance the poorest.
Home favourite Jamie Donaldson managed a 70, Thomas Bjorn a 71 while Lee Westwood carded a two-over 73, but Gallacher had “half-expected” he would have a reaction in his first tournament since his gruelling chase to qualify and selection as a wildcard by Paul McGinley.
“Three weeks off, so there’s a bit of rust in there,” he said. “I’m thinking about next week more than this week, really.
“Generally if I have something to play for I’ll play pretty well, but when I go through the motions I’m useless. I felt I’d come down and play anyway to get the rust off, and I’ll go out tomorrow and give it my best shot.
“I’m not really bothered. I just can’t get up for this really as all eyes are on next week and there was all that effort to get in.
“Once you’re in, you just want it to happen, you know? Next week it’ll be different, you’re in a heightened mood and I’ll be better.”
Gallacher had been to dinner the previous night with McGinley and the other three, and that had been another great experience he said.
“I was in my bed early, that wasn’t the problem,” he joked. “We had a private room with the caddies and had a good craic.
“It was exciting. You’re listening to Lee Westwood who’s played in eight of them, Olazabal’s there, McGinley’s holed the winning putt, Tommy’s played in a few and all the caddies are experienced as well, have 20 years on tour each.
“It’s going to be fine, I’ll just go out tomorrow and try and make a few birdies, see what happens.”
Westwood impressively ran full pace up the steep hill in front of the Celtic Manor clubhouse without breaking breath but admitted to some rust after a month off, while Bjorn, playing with Gallacher, had encouragement for his European team-mate.
“His mind is probably already on it, being a rookie, so that’s only natural,” said the Dane. “I wouldn’t worry about him at all.
“He was fractionally rusty today and a couple of shots here and there cost him. That’s the way it is he’ll get back on his feet pretty quickly.”
But if the four for Gleneagles struggled to make much of a positive impression on Celtic Manor, there was another Ryder Cup hero who produced in record-setting fashion.
Nicolas Colsaerts is one of the biggest hitters in world golf but he erased the long-drive mark for the European Tour, hitting it 447 yards at the 18th his ninth and requiring just a full gap wedge on his way to getting an eagle three.
The 18th was playing 613 yards a little longer than the scripted length of 575 yards and Colsaert’s incredible blow passed Shiv Kapur’s previous record, set at the Madeira Island Open in 2012.
Colaserts is “The Dude” to everyone on tour because of his languid and cool style, and typically he was nonchalant about his feat.
“I think I caught a good bounce,” he said. “I actually thought it was too far right and there’s a bit of a speed trap down there, but it must have just luged down the fairway.
“That is the longest I’ve ever hit. I hit over a 400-yarder playing with Ernie in the Champions in South Africa a couple of years back.”
His playing partners reaction to the hit? “The usual,” he shrugged. “A big smile on their faces and `Really?’”
The eagle kickstarted his run to the top of the leaderboard, taking him from one-over to one-under and he picked up four more shots on a front nine playing tough for just about everyone else in the field to finish atop the leaderboard with a five-under 66.
Colsaerts was of course a member of the Miracle of Medinah team just two years ago, but has spent much of the time since struggling to get his game back to where he wants it.
On Wednesday night he saw the Ryder Cup quarter and their caddies having dinner with Paul McGinley in the hotel at Celtic Manor, but opted not to crash the party.
“I just thought ‘I wish I was in that room’,” said the Belgian. “I left them in peace because it’s their adventure and I am not part of that.
“I would like to play again, maybe 2018 because I would like to play one in Europe. Once you play one you don’t want to miss any other one.”
Joost Luiten, thought unfortunate not to make the European team, grabbed the lead with a 65 and there was a superb round from Scotland’s Andrew McArthur, usually a Challenge Tour player but returning his best on the main tour with a 66 to share second with Colsaerts.
Meanwhile Chris Doak had just out his second ball into the water in front of the 18th green at Celtic Manor when he finally realised he really should be somewhere else.
The Scot had entered in need of more Race to Dubai points but his wife Laura, overdue to give birth to their first child, was due to be induced back home in Livingston.
Doak’s rather ambitious plan was to play, race back up the road from South Wales and home for the birth, and then to come back down to Celtic Manor for his second round this afternoon.
Having been put out in the first threeball of the day to aid his potentially gruelling task, he naturally had his mind on other things and was already five-over when he twice found the lake in front of the 18th.
“A weird day,” he tweeted later, having disqualified himself by picking up and leaving for a flight back to Scotland. “Excited become a dad, golf certainly ain’t everything.”