Stephen Gallacher confessed that he was "not really bothered" about his first-round display at the Wales Open as he has both eyes on next week's Ryder Cup.
The Scot shot a seven-over-par 78 at Celtic Manor in his first competitive 18 holes since European captain Paul McGinley named him a wildcard for Gleneagles.
Gallacher is unperturbed by the timing of the performance and is confident that he will be able to deliver better on his Ryder Cup debut, which has been at the front of his mind for the past three weeks.
"Three weeks off, so there's a bit of rust in there," he told The Courier. "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'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 shot a one-under-par 70 on Friday, but still missed the cut at an event being led by Shane Lowry.
Joe Fish
