Scottish golfer Grant Forrest is the winner of the Spanish Open, having withstood the challenge of home favourite Eugenio Chacarra. The victory secured his place at The Open and the Masters next year, marking his third title on the DP World Tour.
Forrest finished the tournament at 14 under par, while Chacarra and Victor Perez finished on 13 under par. J Skov Olesen, D Brown and J Dean shared 12 under par, L Aberg had 10 under par, S Lowry eight under par, and M Penge and F Molinari both seven under par. Chacarra was at 13 under par at one point during the round.
Forrest entered the final round tied for the lead with Englishman Joe Dean at 13 under par. Forrest started with a birdie on the fourth hole, but fell two shots off the top after bogeys on the third, sixth and eighth holes. He returned to the lead by finishing the final nine holes with three birdies and one bogey, ending the round with a score of 70.
The decisive moment came on the 18th hole, a 322-yard par four. Forrest and his playing partner, Victor Perez, needed to make birdie to overtake the Spanish player. Both players' shots finished in the rough near the green. After Perez's path to birdie had passed the hole, Forrest sank his, securing the victory. This was Forrest's first professional win outside Scotland, and he won a prize of 480,000 pounds.
"I am in complete shock at the moment. It has been a tough year. I have fond memories of this course and this tournament. To do it is incredible. It was difficult. I wasn't sure what the other groups were doing. It was a question of staying in it. I fought so well. It is a fairy-tale story, I have played in two Opens and am going to Augusta, I simply cannot believe it. You can have a great career in this game and never have been to Augusta, so I cannot believe it," said Forrest.
