Booing claims from Woods are challenged by Walker Cup rival

Woods said during last week’s Tour Championship: “I was introduced and just got a huge ovation of boos.

“I’m like ‘oh, okay, welcome to the Walker Cup’.”

But Stephen Gallacher, who played with fellow Scot Gordon Sherry against Woods and John Harris at Porthcawl that first morning, said yesterday: “I have absolutely no memories of anybody booing – no chance.

“I was standing alongside him and it’s the sort of thing that would stick in your mind.

“I would be very, very, very surprised if anybody did anything like that. I honestly can’t see it happening at an amateur event.”

Woods and Gallacher, nephew of three-time European Ryder Cup captain Bernard, did not even hit opening drives in the match. Sherry and Harris went first.

The Americans won it 4&3, but Woods then famously lost his singles to Gary Wolstenholme, going out of bounds with his second shot to the final hole, and Britain and Ireland won 14-10.

Also last Saturday Woods said of his Ryder Cup debut at Valderrama two years later that the boos were even worse.

n Bubba Watson looks set to partner fellow major winner Webb Simpson at Medinah, the US Open champion being one of four rookies on the home side along with Brendt Snedeker, Jason Dufner and 2011 US PGA Champion Keegan Bradley, who is expected to partner Phil Mickelson.

“Bubba and I are good friends away from golf, and I think that’s what makes us a good team,” said Simpson, who also partnered Watson to three wins out of four in the 2011 Presidents Cup. “He’s laid-back. What you see in his golf videos and all the other funny stuff he does, that’s him on the golf course.

“He still is a competitor. You can’t win the Masters and not be a very tough competitor.”