End-of-season Dubai date is another bonus for Grant Forrest ahead of two major starts in 2027

He’s got a dream debut in The Masters to come next April then an appearance in the 155th Open at St Andrews a few months later.

First up, though, as a bonus for Grant Forrest winning the Open de Espana in Madrid last month is a welcome appearance in this week’s $10 million DP World Tour Championship in Dubai.

Spanish Open champion Grant Forrest is one of three Scots teeing up in the DP World Tour’s season finale at Jumeirah Golf Estates in Dubai | Ross Parker/Getty Images

Forrest is joining Calum Hill and Ewen Ferguson in flying the Saltire in the DP World Tour season-ending event at Jumeirah Golf Estates.

It’s the East Lothian-based player’s fifth outing in the event and the huge smile on his face said it all as he was asked about teeing up again on the Earth Course in a 50-man field.

“Yeah, before Spain I wasn't thinking I would play in Korea (in the Genesis Championship, the final regular event of the year) and then have a wee break before going to Australia (for the start of the 2027 campaign) - and then it's all changed,” he said.

Forrest sits 43rd in the Race to Dubai Ranking heading into the concluding 72 holes of a long campaign that has taken in 42 tournaments around the world,

Along with both Hill and Ferguson, he’s still in with an outside chance of jumping into one the ten PGA Tour card-winning positions come Sunday night.

“It's been okay,” replied the three-time DP World Tour winner to being asked how his game has been since the Spanish success at Club de Campo. “I went to India and. in hindsight, I should have probably gone home from Spain just to let it all sink in and enjoy it .

“Then last week (in the Abu Dhabi Aldar Championship at Yas Links) I putted quite well but didn't play brilliantly. I had a good back nine on Sunday (coming home in four-under 32), so I got a wee bit of momentum going into this week.”

Grant Forrest and his caddie Shane O’Connell celebrate the Scot securing spots in both The Masters and The Open next year through winning Open de España presented by Madrid at Club de Campo Villa de Madrid last month | Stuart Franklin/Getty images

Spaniard Eugenio Chacarra leads the Race to Dubai title race from Rory McIlroy, who is bidding to equal Colin Montgomerie’s record of finishing as the No 1 on eight occasions.

World No 2 McIlroy has won this event three times, finished second on two other occasions and also has five more top-five finishes on the Greg Norman-designed Earth Course.

“It’s a proper golf course,” said Forrest, who tied for 16th in 2021 and has been in the top 30 in the last two editions. “Yeah, I like it.

“It's a strong course and a strong driving course. If you drive it well, it's a big advantage and it's probably seen like how well Rory does because he can take out, you know, a lot of bunkers that are kind of just over 300 that he can take them out.

“It makes it a lot more scorable but, the rough this well is really thick. It doesn't look it because it's not overly long. The ball just goes right to the bottom. It sits down at the bottom and you can't get anything on it. Yeah, it'll be good.”

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