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Stephen Gallacher: Caddie John McLaren’s sabbatical shows life on tour can be tough

John McLaren during his time with Luke Donald
John McLaren during his time with Luke Donald

I wish John McLaren, or Johnny Long Socks as he is affectionately known in the game, all the best following his announcement he is taking a sabbatical from golf for mental health reasons.

John has been at the sharp end of the game for years, having worked with Luke Donald on his road to the top of the game as well as several other players including his current tour professional Paul Casey.

John will be on Paul’s bag for the DP Word Tour Championship next month and the Dubai Desert Classic in January before stepping away for the game and at this point we don’t know if he will return.

It’s sad but when someone says they are suffering exhaustion and anxiety due to the constant traveling during the Covid pandemic then their wishes should be respected.

John is not the first person who has needed a break from the lifestyle that comes with being on tour constantly.

In my experience I’ve found people look at the amount of money on offer to winners of golf tournaments and think it must be fantastic to be a tour pro but you have to be comfortable in your own space.

A perk of the job is seeing the world but you have a lot of time to kill when you come off the range or the golf course after a round. You can find yourself spending a lot of time on your own in your hotel room and it is a monotonous lifestyle of one hotel after another at times.

Add in the increasingly isolated environment which has been created because of the global pandemic in the last 18 months and it not hard to see why it has been even more challenging for many people.

John is 100% right to put himself and his family first after finding the schedule and lifestyle increasingly challenging recently.

I take my hat off to John for having the courage to go public on the reasons for his decision to take a step back and I wish him nothing but the best.

I hope we’ll see him back on tour in the future but above all else I hope he is happy and in good health.

Bernhard Langer’s endurance continues to amaze

Bernhard Langer is still going strong at 64

I think I have ran out of superlatives to describe the age-defying exploits of Bernhard Langer.

At the age of 64, the German won the Dominion Energy Charity Classic on the Champions Tour. It was his 42nd win on the senior tour circuit and matches his 42 European Tour titles.

It is remarkable to think his win on Sunday came 46 years after his first professional win with the victory putting him within three more senior wins away from matching Hale Irwin’s record.

I don’t think I’m sticking my neck out by predicting he will eclipse Irwin’s feat.

But what is the secret of his remarkable success?

It’s simple really – he is a man who has gotten out the game what he has put in. I remember starting out as a young pro and can remember vividly seeing him in the physio in the morning and again after a round.

He was and still is built like a cyclist. He eats properly and is in phenomenal shape. His drive is still strong, his game is good and he is as fit as anyone out there at any level.

Put that all together and you can see just why he has retained not just that consistency but his longevity. Bernhard is an inspiration to us all.

European Tour has lost a popular figure in Fredrik Anderson Hed

The passing of Fredrik Anderson Hed has come as a huge shock to us all.

I played with Peter Hanson two weeks ago in the Andalucia Masters and remember asking him how Fredrik was getting on and he told me our old tour colleague had not been keeping well and that his cancer had returned.

I asked Peter to pass on my regards and said we were all rooting for him so it was devastating to hear from my wife Helen of his death a few days later.

I played in the amateur ranks with Fredrik and we came through the professional game together as well. I’ve known him for nearly 30 years.

He was a great golfer, a fierce competitor and a popular figure on the European Tour. He was only two years older than me at 49 and it hard to believe he’s no longer with us.

My thoughts are with his family and friends.