Forrest Birds the Last to Win Open de España and Seal Augusta, St Andrews Invites

Grant Forrest saved his best for the very last hole. The 33-year-old Scot holed a nerveless birdie putt on the 18th green at Real Club de Campo Villa de Madrid to win the 2026 Open de España by a single stroke, holding off a ferocious Sunday charge from home favourite Eugenio Chacarra. Forrest closed with a 1-under 70 to finish on 14-under 270, one clear of Chacarra and France's Victor Perez at 13 under. It is the third DP World Tour title of his career — and the first outside his native Scotland after wins at the 2021 Hero Open and 2025 Nexo Championship. The victory also delivered the two prizes every pro dreams about: invitations to the 2027 Masters Tournament and the 155th Open Championship at St Andrews. The win looked unlikely at several points on Sunday. Chacarra tore through the front nine in 31 — five under par, including a stunning 47-foot putt on the fourth and an eagle at the seventh — to wipe out the overnight advantage Forrest and Joe Dean had built. Forrest himself dropped two shots behind after bogeys at the sixth and eighth, but he steadied with birdies at the 10th, 13th and 14th to draw level again. When Chacarra birdied the last to post 13 under, Forrest needed a birdie of his own to avoid a playoff. He delivered with a deft chip from off the front of the green and a putt from inside four feet. The result is a remarkable turnaround for a player who had missed his last four cuts and arrived in Madrid ranked only 118th on the Race to Dubai standings. Forrest collected the $637,500 winner's share of the $3.75 million purse, plus 835 Race to Dubai points.