2026 Spanish Open: Forrest Caps Off a Troubled Year with a Masters Spot

Grant Forrest won the 2026 Open de España at the Club de Campo Villa de Madrid, securing two major tournament appearances after a lackluster season so far. The Scot made a Birdie on the final hole, shot a closing round of 70 (1 under Par), and finished the tournament at 14 under Par (270 strokes). As the winner, he receives invitations to the 2027 Masters in Augusta and the 2027 Open Championship in St. Andrews. Behind him, Spain’s Eugenio Chacarra and France’s Victor Perez tied for second place at 13 under Par.

For the 33-year-old, this is his third title on the DP World Tour and his first outside his native Scotland. The two major spots are the result of new qualification criteria introduced by Augusta National and the R&A in August: The winner of the Open de España qualifies directly for the Masters, while the highest-ranked player not yet qualified advances to St. Andrews via the Open Qualifying Series.

Here you can find the leaderboard for the 2026 DP World Tour Open de España.

A Victory Against the Odds

For Forrest, this success came out of nowhere. He had missed the cut in his previous four tournaments and had traveled to Madrid ranked only 118th in the Race to Dubai. Still, he feels at home in Spain: he finished tied for third here in both 2021 and 2024. With rounds of 66, 66, and 67, he shared the lead with England’s Joe Dean heading into the final round.

The backstory leading up to Augusta is particularly poignant. Eleven years ago, as an amateur, Forrest reached the final of the 2015 Amateur Championship—a victory back then would have earned him a spot in the Masters. However, he lost 4&2 to Romain Langasque, who, incidentally, was also competing in Madrid and made the cut. Since then, Forrest has been unable to make it to Augusta National, despite competing in two Open Championships and one U. S. Open.

Prize Money for the 2026 Open de España on the DP World Tour

Excitement on the DP World Tour

The final day got off to a rocky start for Forrest. After Bogey on the 3rd, 6th, and 8th, he finished the front nine in 38 strokes (2 over Par) and fell behind. Chacarra, who was playing in front of his home crowd with a broken toe, seized the opportunity: He shot the front nine in 31 strokes, sinking a 40-foot Eagle putt on the par-5 7th hole, among other highlights, and worked his way to the top.

Forrest then showed nerves of steel. With Birdies on the 13th and 14th, he returned to the lead group. Chacarra set the standard at 13 under Par with a Birdie on the 18th hole and had to wait. On the decisive 18th hole—a par-4 just 322 yards long—Forrest and Perez’s tee shots both landed in the rough around the green. Perez pushed his Birdie putt past the hole and settled for a par. Forrest chipped to just under four feet and sank the putt for the win.

Dan Brown carded the best round of the day with a 64; the Englishman finished his round with five consecutive Birdies. Dean, who had been tied for the lead on Saturday, lost five strokes over the weekend on holes 16 and 17 alone and finished tied for fifth. Jacob Skov Olesen, who had been in the lead for much of the tournament, fell out of contention after a Bogey on the 17th and finished in sole fourth place.

“I’m just in shock right now, honestly, in pure shock,” Forrest said after his triumph. “This is like a fairy tale. I’ve played in two Opens, and now to go to Augusta—I can’t believe it. You can have a great career in this sport and still never make it to Augusta, so I just can’t believe it,” Forrest said happily.

“This year has been a real struggle so far, and to walk away with the Spanish Open trophy and a spot at the Open and in Augusta… I’m still in shock,” added an overwhelmed Forrest. He earned €567,564.34 (equivalent to about £480,000) for the victory. The tournament’s prize money had risen significantly in 2026—from $3.25 million to $3.75 million. Despite their strong performances, Chacarra and Perez will leave this tournament without a Masters invitation. For Forrest, the victory gives him a significant boost in the Race to Dubai: The official standings award him 835 points for Madrid.

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