Webster soars to Gleneagles summit

Steve Webster returned to the form which gave him his first European Tour victory in May as he climbed to the top of the Gleneagles leaderboard.

A week before he makes his US PGA debut – his first-ever tournament in America - Webster came home in a brilliant 31 to join fellow Englishman Mark Foster as halfway leader of the Johnnie Walker Championship.

But the day saw yet another Baltusrol-bound player pull out of the event and leave a question mark over his participation in the final major of the season.

After David Howell (abdominal muscle) on Wednesday night and Colin Montgomerie (bruised fingers) during his first round, Stephen Gallacher quit midway through his second round because of back trouble.

With not a single member of the world’s top 40 around for the weekend, Webster now has a golden opportunity to add to his Italian Open win, and provide a boost to his confidence heading for New Jersey.

“Next week is a big week for me and I’m really looking forward to it,” said the Warwickshire golfer, round in 67 for a six-under-par total of 138.

“Any competition when you are playing well is good preparation. I don’t know what the course is like next week, but this is quite a tricky driving course, so it should stand me in good stead.

“It’s going to be difficult, but if I am playing well I will love it. I know I will.”

Webster has already been to the States this year, but that was just to celebrate his 30th birthday in Las Vegas in January.

“Broke even, I think,” he added. “That’s pretty good.”

In addition to using ‘mind magician’ Jamil Qureshi, Webster has followed Padraig Harrington and Paul McGinley in turning to Sam Torrance’s father Bob for coaching help.

“I’m not going full-time (with Torrance) I don’t think, but we worked at the Open and he gave me some advice last night,” said Webster.

“I said what I was doing with my driver and it was a lot better today. I’ve just got to turn my shoulders a bit more.

“I was getting a bit lazy, I think, and he gave me a little drill to do which is working well.”

Foster, without a top 10 finish all year and down in 122nd place on the order of merit, had been two ahead after his opening 68, but needed to eagle the long 16th to get on terms with Webster.

“I just kept patient and it paid off in the end,” said the 30-year-old from Worksop.

“I was playing fine, but not much was happening and then I hit a three-wood to six feet.”

Gallacher, who was 10 over par when he decided not to continue, said: “In hindsight maybe I should have missed this week, but because it’s a home event I decided to play.”

He has long-term concerns as well as the immediate worry of whether he will recover in time for Baltusrol.

“I’ll be doing everything I can to play, but I need to get to the bottom of this,” he said. “I want to be playing when I’m 50 and 60, not doing a desk job when I’m 35.

“Two joints are really inflamed and it affects the nerves in my lower back. It feels brilliant after I see my chiropractor, but then it becomes sore all the time – standing, walking, sitting.”

An eight-hour flight on Monday is not an appealing prospect the way he feels.

Gallacher missed the whole of the 1998 season with the problem.

“I went three months without picking up a club. It’s the worst time of your life and I don’t want that again,” he said.

“I’ve been seeing the chiropractor more than my wife, but I really need to build my back up.

“It’s the nature of the game. The back’s meant to turn and tilt one at a time. We turn in a tilted position.”

Meanwhile, Ryder Cup star Paul Casey took another step on the road to recovery after the worst slump of his career.

A 73 was nothing special to write home about, but at level par he did at least end a run of six successive missed cuts.

He has two more rounds now to build some more confidence ahead of the US PGA, while Gallacher undergoes more treatment and Montgomerie waits for the results of tests on his fingers.

Webster and Foster finished the day a stroke ahead of Sam Little and France’s Gregory Bourdy.

Damien McGrane is best of the Irish on two under par.