Grant Forrest has conquered Madrid with resilience, character and a special connection with a tournament that had been awaiting his breakthrough for years. The Scot has been crowned champion of the 2026 Open de España presented by Madrid after a nerve-wracking final day on which he weathered four bogeys and held on until the very end to lift the trophy at Real Club de Campo. The Scot’s third victory on the DP World Tour comes at one of his favourite venues, a place where he had been knocking on the door for years and where, at last, he has reaped his reward.
Some victories are built on perfection, whilst others are won by weathering the storm. Forrest’s falls into the latter group. On a Sunday fraught with tension, with the lead under constant threat and several contenders ready to capitalise on the slightest error, the Scot had to battle not only his own mistakes but also the pressure mounting below him. Eugenio Chacarra’s spectacular -5 on the front nine set the alarm bells ringing amongst the leaders, with Forrest, Victor Perez and Joe Dean all too aware that the Spaniard was on the verge of an epic comeback. Four bogeys in the final round would have dashed the hopes of many players, but the Scot kept his eye on the prize.
Madrid had long given Forrest reason to believe. Since the Open de España returned to Real Club de Campo in 2019, Forrest has made the cut in every appearance. His consistency had seen him finish third on two occasions, but victory had eluded him. In 2021, he also provided one of those moments that go down in tournament history: a hole-in-one that foretold a special relationship with the course. Five years on, that connection has climaxed. Grant Forrest is no longer leaving Madrid with the feeling of having come close; he is leaving as champion.
The grand finale lived up to the expectations of a week that has once again proven that the Open de España never disappoints. Real Club de Campo looked spectacular and imposing. The lightning-fast greens and devilish rough have ensured that Madrid is once again a flagship tournament on Europe’s premier circuit. The tension reached its climax on the 18th, where Grant Forrest and Victor Perez’s balls came to rest just ten centimetres apart. The situation required a referee, as playing one of them could have affected the position of the other. Perez had to lift his ball and replace it after the Scot’s chip. His ball appeared to have sunk deeper than before he picked it up, perhaps hampering him further. Forrest played a superb second to 3 feet, while the Frenchman’s ball came out hot and rolled 10 feet past the pin. Perez missed his downhill putt before Forrest calmly rolled his into the middle of the hole. It was an extraordinary conclusion and an incredibly tight finish that is now part of the history of the Open de España.
Forrest ultimately prevailed in a battle where simply playing well was not enough. He had to hold on, keep a cool head and come through some tough moments. The Scot, who already knew what it was like to come close to glory in Madrid, has this time turned the consistency of previous years into the victory that had eluded him.
The Open de España presented by Madrid has a new champion, but the story seems to have been written some time ago. After making so many cuts, securing two third-place finishes and making a hole-in-one that is now part of his Madrid legacy, Grant Forrest has found in Real Club de Campo the stage for the third victory of his DP World Tour career. This time, he hasn’t fallen short. This time, Madrid is his.
