Grant Forrest birdied the final hole at Real Club de Campo Villa de Madrid to win the Open de España by one shot from home favourite Eugenio Chacarra.
Chacarra played the front nine in five under par to erase Forrest and Joe Dean’s overnight lead, before birdieing the last to set the target at 13 under and leave Forrest needing a birdie to win.
The Scot delivered, making an impressive up-and-down from off the front of the 18th green to secure his first DP World Tour victory outside of Scotland, along with invitations to the 2027 Masters Tournament and the 155th Open Championship at St Andrews.
The 33-year-old had missed his previous four cuts since retiring from the British Masters and arrived in Madrid ranked 118th on the Race to Dubai Rankings and in danger of losing his playing rights for next year.
DAY OF TWISTS & TURNS
The final round saw plenty of players still in with a chance of taking the spoils that now come with winning a national championship on the DP World Tour.
Jacob Skov Olesen made a birdie-birdie start to take the lead, while Chacarra birdied the second and third before holing an astonishing 47-foot putt over a ridge at the fourth after misjudging his pitch. Olesen bogeyed the third to surrender his early gains, leaving the Spaniard two shots off the lead.
Dean bogeyed the second and Forrest the third, while Joel Girrbach’s birdie at the fourth briefly created a four-way tie at the top alongside Olesen.
CHACARRA ON THE CHARGE
After a bogey at the sixth, Chacarra eagled the next with a 40-foot putt from off the green. He had holed 114 feet of putts through seven holes, already more than his 18-hole tally in any of his first three rounds, before a birdie from six feet at the eighth completed an outward nine of 31 and brought him alongside Dean.
Forrest dropped two shots behind after bogeys at the sixth and eighth, while Girrbach and Olesen birdied the seventh and Victor Perez followed with gains at the seventh and eighth.
Dan Brown closed with five consecutive birdies to set the clubhouse target at 11 under. Dean bogeyed the 12th to leave Chacarra and Olesen tied at the top, with Forrest one behind after birdies at the tenth and 13th either side of a bogey at the 11th.
Forrest pulled level with his third birdie in four holes at the 14th, while Chacarra bogeyed the 17th after finding a greenside bunker off the tee.
Chacarra birdied the last to finish at 13 under, joined by Perez, while Forrest got up and down for par after going through the back of the 16th green. Dean dropped a shot, and Olesen bogeyed the 17th to finish fourth at 12 under, with Dean tied fifth at 11 under alongside Brown.
‘FAIRYTALE STUFF’ FOR FORREST
Forrest said: “I’m in shock, honestly, pure shock right now. That’s fairy tale stuff, I’ve played two Opens and to be going to Augusta, I just can’t get my head round it. You can have a great career in this game and never get to go to Augusta, so I cannot believe it.
“I was texting my wife about an hour before I teed off, saying ‘I haven’t been this nervous for a long time’. It’s a good thing and I just tried to embrace it and I’m just really proud of the way we dug in there today.
“I love this tournament, this venue, this city – the past six or seven years it’s been good to me already. Obviously today it was extra special, and a couple of extra things that come along with it as well. This year’s been a real struggle to this point and to walk away with the Spanish Open trophy and a spot in the Open and Augusta – I’m still in shock, to be honest.”
For all the final scores, click here.
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