Grant Forrest secures European Tour card

Grant Forrest has joined Liam Johnston in securing a European Tour card for 2019 after jumping to seventh in the Road to Ras Al Khaimah rankings by finishing runner-up in the Hainan Open.
Grant Forrest has jumped to seventh in the Road to Ras Al Khaimah rankings. Picture: Kenny SmithGrant Forrest has jumped to seventh in the Road to Ras Al Khaimah rankings. Picture: Kenny Smith
Grant Forrest has jumped to seventh in the Road to Ras Al Khaimah rankings. Picture: Kenny Smith

The 25-year-old is guaranteed a card as a top-15 Challenge Tour graduate after taking his points tally for the season to 112,677 following a strong showing at Sanya 
Luhuitou Golf Club.

He carded rounds of 62-72-70-71 for a 13-under-par total, finishing two shots behind Finland’s Kalle Samooja after the pair fought out a last-day battle for the title.

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Forrest also finished second in the same event 12 months ago and has now been a 
runner-up three times this season, having been pipped in play-offs in both the Andalucia - Costa del Sol Match Play 9 and the Hauts de France Golf Open.

He has earned his step up to the Europan Tour in only his second full season as a professional, having finished 34th in the Road to Ras Al Khaimah rankings last year.

Johnston effectively secured his card after recording a second win of the season on the circuit in last month’s Kazakhstan Open, with a third Scot, David Law, also on course to be among the 15 graduates. Law sits 11th heading into the penultimate event – this week’s Foshan Open – after finishing joint-15th in Hainan.

Elsewhere, Australian Marc Leishman eased to a five-shot victory in the CIMB Classic in Kuala Lumpur.

The world No 24, who won the Tennant Cup at Killermont as an amateur, claimed his fourth PGA Tour title by shooting a seven-under-par 65 in the final round to equal the tournament record as he finished on 26-under.

Meanwhile, an equally stunning final round earned home favourite Chun In-gee her first win in two years at the LPGA’s KEB Hana Bank Championship in South Korea.

The 24-year-old started the day two shots off joint leaders England’s Charley Hull and American Danielle Kang but fired seven birdies in a six-under-par 66 to win by three strokes from the former.

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