“It’s a stressful way to do it, relying on one tournament a year.”
Grant Forrest admits his season “has not been a whole lot of fun”, but what a week he chose to pull everything together.
A Spanish Open triumph in October earned the 33-year-old Scot spots at The Masters and The Open Championship in 2027 while securing his future at the top level for at least two more years.
It also secured a place at at this week’s DP World Tour Championship in Dubai, with Forrest among the leading 50 players in the Tour rankings.
A four-under-par back nine during his third round at Jumeirah Golf Estates moved him to level par and a share of 25th place.
Prior to his terrific showing in Madrid, Forrest had four other top 20 finishes in 2026, along with nine missed cuts.
“It’s been very similar to last season,” he said. “Bar one tournament, it’s not been a whole lot of fun, to be honest.
“But if you said to anyone you were going to play poorly but win an event every season for your career, you’d bite their hand off.”
Looking ahead to his Masters debut, Forrest revealed he will get some practice at the iconic Augusta National in December after being invited to play by contacts who know members at the club.
He first visited Augusta as a spectator in 2019 and recognises that experiencing the course as a player will be an entirely different proposition.
“One of the guys I know from home knows a few members, so we’re kindly being hosted just the week before Christmas,” he said.
“The more times you’ve played it going out before April, the better, and that’s exciting.”
Asked if he would be taking advantage of the opportunity to visit the famous merchandise shop, Forrest added: “I’ll be taking an empty suitcase and picking up a few Christmas presents.”