Grant Forrest (-8) has conquered the Nexo Championship decisively. Second victory on the DP World Tour for this 32-year-old Scot who turned professional in 2016 with the label of being one of the great hopes of the country where golf was invented. He has it all. A modern player. A great hitter, very good irons, aggressive, a good putter when he’s on form…
However, his expectations have not been fully realised. He has had a good career, no doubt, but he has been overtaken by Robert MacIntyre, Ewen Ferguson and is neck and neck with Calum Hill or Connor Syme. They were all fighting for the William Wallace banner and MacIntyre finally took it.
Forrest has won again four years and two days after achieving his first victory on the DP World Tour, interestingly also in Scotland. Or perhaps not so interestingly. After all, the four best performances of his career have come in Scotland (victories at the Hero Open and Nexo Championship and 11th place at the Scottish Open) and in Ireland (3rd Irish Open). He performs well when playing on home soil.
The truth is that Forrest has enjoyed a pleasant stroll today at the Trump International Golf Links in Aberdeen. He started with a three-shot lead over the second-placed player and quickly extended it to seven. It was the perfect storm for a leader. He started very well, with two birdies in the first seven holes and saved two splendid pars on holes 3 and 6, especially the second, and was accompanied by a disastrous start from all his rivals. It seemed like a conspiracy. Poor Reitan, Poor Clements. Poor Huizing. Poor Olesen. Poor Dean. None really managed to put pressure on him.
From there, it was plain sailing. Forrest handled the situation wonderfully. He made another birdie on the 10th to seal the tournament, committed a bogey on the 12th that did no harm, and enjoyed the adulation of the crowd over the last six holes of the round. He approached the 18th with a six-shot lead and it didn’t even matter that he lost the ball from the tee. A minor mishap. A luxury playing at home. He has shown that any of these guys can be Scottie Scheffler for a week. They all have the ability. What is extraordinary is that the Number One is Scottie Scheffler each and every week of the year. That is what sets him apart from the rest of humanity. He won with a four-shot lead over Joe Dean (-4), who secured his card this week, and five over Reitan, Parry, and Olesen. The first two maintain their good form to chase a PGA Tour card.
The question is whether Forrest will take another four years to win for the third time on the DP World Tour. Watching him play this week, it seems likely to happen much sooner, but of course, it will all depend on when he can bring out this version again. Forrest’s amateur record (Scottish champion, St Andrews Links Trophy champion, runner-up in the British Amateur ten years ago, four wins in the NCAA with the University of San Diego…) suggested that today, in 2025, he would not be a player who has yet to break into the world’s top 100 in his entire career. Let’s say he hasn’t found consistency. He still has time and, we insist, he has it all.
The Nexo Championship has left us with a more than notable performance from Pablo Ereño (+4). The Madrid native finished in 27th place on his DP World Tour debut, finishing with a par round of 72 strokes, with four birdies and four bogeys. The putter worked very well for him on this Sunday. He was the best Spaniard in the tournament.
Rafa Cabrera Bello (+5) was the best of the Armada this Sunday. He managed to take advantage of the last day to sign a score of 70 strokes, hitting some very good shots, very close to the flag, to add some always valuable points towards the goal of retaining the European Tour card. It brings him closer to the goal.
In contrast, Jorge Campillo (+7), Eugenio Chacarra (+8), and Sebas García (+13) did not manage to improve their situation in the tournament. They finished with rounds of 74, 75, and 73 strokes.
