Grant Forrest seals Spanish Open title with birdie to secure Masters debut

Chacarra played the front nine in five under par to erase Forrest and Joe Dean's overnight lead and his own birdie at the last gave him hope of a play-off.

But Forrest made a good up-and-down from off the front of the 18th green to earn his first DP World Tour victory outside of his native Scotland - as well as invitations to both the 2027 Masters Tournament and the 155th Open Championship at St Andrews.

"I'm in shock, honestly, pure shock right now," he said.

"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."

Chacarra birdied the last to set the target at 13 under and was left waiting to see how his rivals finished, with Forrest through the back of the 16th green. He got up and down for par but Dean dropped a shot to fall one behind the leaders.

Thorbjorn Olesen bogeyed the 17th to miss out on 12 under, as did Dean who finished a shot further back, but Forrest sealed the deal with a well-judged chip and a putt from just inside four feet.

Forrest had missed his previous four cuts, since retiring from the Husqvarna British Masters hosted by Sir Nick Faldo, and came into the week only 118th on the Race to Dubai Rankings delivered by DP World.

The winner of the 2021 Hero Open and 2025 Nexo Championship, both in his homeland, tied for third place in this event in both 2021 and 2024 before another top-20 finish last year.

He said: "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.

“Some of the names on that trophy, it's incredible. 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."