Just over a year ago, Grant Forrest was 113th in the Race to Dubai rankings and fighting to keep his tour card. On Sunday in Madrid, one putt changed everything. His Spanish Open win earned him places at the 2027 Masters at Augusta National and The Open at St Andrews.
Watch What’s Trending Now!
Moments later, he could barely find the words for the DP World Tour’s cameras. “It’s fairytale stuff. To be going to Augusta, I can’t get my head around it.”
Marco Penge earned the same Masters spot last year when the Spanish Open first began offering a path to Augusta. Forrest is now the latest winner to earn that reward.
Forrest was honest about his state of mind afterward. “I’m in shock, honestly, pure shock just now.”
It’s easy to see why. He and Joe Dean shared the overnight lead after Forrest opened with rounds of 66 and 67. He then bogeyed three times on the front nine and didn’t get back to even par for the round until a birdie at the par-5 14th.
The finish at Club de Campo was tense, with five players sharing the lead over the final three holes. Victor Perez missed his birdie putt on the 18th, while Eugenio Chacarra had already finished at 13-under despite playing with a fractured toe. Then Forrest sank his birdie putt on the final hole. He finished at 14-under to win.
The leaderboard got crowded in the meantime. “Yes, it was tough because I wasn’t too sure what other groups were doing.”
Forrest stayed patient instead of trying to force the win. He focused on staying in contention and keeping his round under control. His scorecard showed that approach, as he avoided a big scoring run and stayed in the fight until the final hole. Victor Perez putt went past the hole, leaving him with a par. Forrest then sank his birdie putt to finish one shot ahead of Perez and Chacarra.
Forrest said that a few important putts and his ability to stay focused helped him get through the round. The three early bogeys made things difficult, but he kept fighting.
His key putts on the 14th and 18th holes helped him secure the victory.
DP World Tour Pro’s Rough Year and a Course That Remembered Him
Forrest was honest about his struggles this season, admitting that he had been playing poorly. According to Golf Today, he arrived in Madrid after missing four cuts in a row and retiring from one of his five Back 9 starts. However, he had shown before that he could bounce back from a difficult run. He won the 2025 Nexo Championship when he was 113th in the Race to Dubai rankings. That victory helped him climb 85 places to 28th.
Forrest also had good memories of the course. He had finished tied for third at Club de Campo in 2021 and tied for 16th the previous year. His past results gave him another reason to feel confident heading into the tournament.
He came close to earning a Masters invitation in 2015 when he reached the final of the Amateur Championship at Carnoustie. However, he lost 4&2 to Romain Langasque and missed out on the opportunity. The winner of the Amateur Championship earns an invitation to the Masters, and Forrest had come just one match short.
Since then, Forrest has played in two editions of The Open. He made his debut as an amateur at Muirfield in 2013 before returning to Carnoustie in 2018, where he missed the cut. He later won his first DP World Tour title at the 2021 Hero Open in St Andrews, but that victory did not earn him a place at Augusta. His second title, at the 2025 Nexo Championship in Scotland, also left that dream unfulfilled.
Now, things have finally changed. Both of Forrest’s previous wins came in Scotland, making his victory in Madrid even more special. He was thrilled to claim his first title outside his home country, especially after such a difficult season. The day before the final round, he had even mentioned that winning away from home was one of his goals for the year.
After a season that tested his confidence, the 33-year-old Scot now has two major championships to prepare for. What once seemed like a distant dream has finally become reality, thanks to a determined final-round effort and a crucial birdie on the 18th hole.