Grant Forrest feels 'back on track' as he chases Rolex Series win in Abu Dhabi

Andy Murray’s inspirational run may be over in the Australian Open, but a big Scottish sporting success could still be on the cards. Heading into the final round, Grant Forrest is one shot off the lead in the $9 million Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship and has one of his compatriots, Connor Syme, backing him up in the title tussle at Yas Links.

Grant Forrest and his caddie Davy Kenny walk on the 18th green during day three of the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship at Yas Links. Picture: Ross Kinnaird/Getty Images.

On a tightly-packed leaderboard in the first leg of a Rolex Series double-header, 2021 Genesis Scottish Open winner Min Woo Lee shares the lead with two former Open champions, Shane Lowry and Francesco Molinari, on 13-under-par, the trio sitting just ahead of Forrest, Dundee-based Frenchman Victor Perez and Swede Sebastian Soderberg.

Bidding to become the oldest winner on the DP World Tour, three-time major champion Padraig Harrington is a shot further back in the battle for a $1.53 million top prize, with Syme sitting on 10-under in a group that also includes LIV Golf man Richard Bland.

Forrest landed his breakthrough win in the 2021 Hero Open at Fairmont St Andrews, but it’s taken until this week for the 29-year-old to back up the belief of many people that he’s equipped to take his game to the next level.

“It’s huge,” said Forrest, wearing a Saltire blue top and white trousers, of the biggest opportunity of his career, having stormed into contention with an eye-catching seven-under-par 65, which included an eagle – he putted in from off the green at the seventh – and seven birdies, five of which came in an inward half of 31. “It’s the first time I’ve been in this position in a Rolex Series event and I am really looking forward to tomorrow and see what happens.”

The former Scottish Amateur champion finished 93rd - 57 spots lower than 2021 - in last season’s Race to Dubai. “It’s good to be in this position again after a lot of poor golf last year and feel back on track,” he said. “This is a much bigger event with a much stronger field, but you want to be amongst the best players.”

This is the East Lothian-based player’s first outing with Davy Kenny, who had a successful spell with Paul Lawrie, on his bag. For the time being, though, Forrest has decided to work without a coach. “I’ve been through quite a few coaches the last wee while,” he said, smiling. “Ultimately, I’ve decided to go back to my golfing DNA and, over the winter, I looked back on all the weeks I’d done well and what I was doing in those weeks.

“What was the swing looking like? Was there anything I did in practice that helped? Success always leaves a trail. It’s easy to just focus on the weaknesses, but sometimes it’s just as important to look at the good weeks.”

Lee, who has Edinburgh man Stuart Davidson on his bag, signed for seven birdies in a 66, which moved him to 13-under alongside Lowry, who stepped up his bid to repeat a 2019 win, albeit it a different golf course, with the same score, which included an eagle-3 at the sixth,

In a terrific run at the end of last season, Lee reeled off six top-12 finishes in a row, but the 24-year-old is looking to come out on top for the first time since that Scottish Open success at The Renaissance Club.

“I've been playing awesome and those close calls have been down to someone really playing well,” he said of losing out in title battles to Jon Rahm and Adrian Otaegui in the Open de Espana and Andalucia Masters respectively. “It's one of those where you do the right things but someone else pips you. Hopefully I can be that guy tomorrow.”

Lowry lost all four of his matches in last week’s Hero Cup at Abu Dhabi Golf Club, but, helped by a “Brucie bonus” as he birdied the last after finding himself out of position, the Irishman has the scent of victory in his nostrils again. “I’ve got a chance to go out there and do something special,” he said of the final day.

Harrington birdied six holes on the spin on the back nine as he shot a 64, sharing the honour for the best score of the day with Syme. The 51-year-old Irishman will topple Miguel Angel Jimenez as the oldest winner on the circuit if he upstages what he jokingly described as the “juniors” in the closing circuit.

Harrington used to beat balls after rounds but not any more. “My afternoon this afternoon will be eating chocolate, drinking my Diet Coke, sitting in my bed watching Netflix or something,” he declared. “I'm different at this age. I have a much better handle on experience and who I am and what I need to do.”

Syme, who is chasing a breakthrough DP World Tour triumph, started with a bogey then three-putted the second before transforming his day with a birdie blitz. “I said to my caddie ‘Jon Rahm started with a bogey and shot ten-under (to win the PGA Tour’s Tournament of Champions in Hawaii earlier this month),” he said afterwards.

“I was like ‘anything can happen, I suppose’ and I kind of just tried to have that mindset really, trying to make as many birdies as I could to get back in the tournament and we were able to do that.”

Scott Jamieson slipped from joint-fourth at the halfway stage into a tie for 23rd on eight-under after a par-72, with Bob MacIntyre, who reckons he’s playing as well as he has for a long time from tee to green only to be frustrated by his putting, a further shot back following a 69. Richie Ramsay (72) and Ewen Ferguson (73) are both on three-under, one ahead of Marc Warren (75).