Grant Forrest has sights on PGA Tour card after Race to Dubai jump

Twelve months after arriving at Wentworth fighting to hang on to his DP World Tour card, Grant Forrest has returned to the Surrey venue with a PGA Tour ticket in his sights.

Grant Forrest prepares to hit a shot in the final round of the Horizon Irish Open at The K Club on Sunday. Picture: Richard Heathcote/Getty Images.

On the back of finishing joint-third in the Horizon Irish Open at The K Club on Sunday, the 30-year-old sits 23rd in this season’s Race to Dubai, which will see the top ten players not currently exempt secure PGA Tour cards in 2024.

Pole Adrian Meronk is leading that race while Edinburgh-based Frenchman Victor Perez and Scottish No 1 Bob MacIntyre are also on course to have a status on the US circuit, with Forrest, speaking ahead of this week’s $9 million BMW PGA Championship, admitting it’s now a target for him as well.

“Yeah definitely,” he said. “There is a lot of golf left to play, big events and more points and money towards the end of the season and a lot to play for. If you can have another big week, you are right in the mix.”

After landing his maiden professional win in the 2021 Hero Open at Fairmont St Andrews, Forrest admitted he’d found it a “bit of a struggle” last season as he had to settle for 93rd spot on the money list.

He’s been back on an upward trajectory, though, since starting the current calendar campaign with a top-ten finish in the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship and that eye-catching effort in Ireland has certainly given him fresh impetus heading into the final two months of the season.

“Yes it was good,” he said of shooting four rounds in the 70s as he came up just short in an event won by Swede Norrman Vincent. “I just sort of dug in. On Saturday, none of the leaders pulled away and I played really nicely on Sunday.

“I just got one tough break when the wind switched a little bit of the 12th and I ended up short and in the water, but, other than that, I didn’t really miss many shots and it was just good to be in the mix again. I’d have liked, obviously, to have won and I definitely had enough chances.

“Playing in front of Rory [McIlroy] as well, the crowds were ten deep most of Sunday. I wasn’t nervous and I felt quite calm and focused on what I was doing. I didn’t let anything else get in the way of what I was doing and I was happy with that.”

More of the same in the fourth Rolex Series event of the year could see him get even closer to those players currently occupying PGA Tour card spots. “I’ve had quite a lot of good finishes this year, but not top three and, obviously, the way the points work out, it’s top heavy,” he said. “If you can have one really big finish, it jumps you up. There’s no reason why I can’t do it again. I love Wentworth, so we’ll see what this week brings.”

After finishing just outside the top 20 in this event, Forrest effectively secured his playing rights for this year by tying for tenth in the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship three weeks later. “That’s golf – small margins,” he said of how his fortunes have changed in the past 12 months.