Golf can turn around remarkably quickly. A week ago, Grant Forrest had missed four cuts in a row. On Sunday 11 October he birdied the 72nd hole to win the Open de España presented by Madrid, and with it came invitations to the 2027 Masters and The 155th Open at St Andrews.
How the final round played out
The DP World Tour’s report describes a busy, swinging Sunday at Club de Campo Villa de Madrid. Home favourite Eugenio Chacarra played the front nine in five under, including a 47-foot putt over a ridge on the fourth and an eagle on the seventh. His birdie on the last set the clubhouse target at 13 under.
Forrest dropped back with bogeys at the sixth and eighth but birdied three of four holes from the 10th to the 14th to get back into it. He saved par from the back of the 16th, and then made a well-judged chip and a putt from just inside four feet on the 18th to win by one.
According to the official points and prize money list, Forrest finished at 14 under, with Chacarra and Victor Perez tied second at 13 under. It was Forrest’s third DP World Tour title and his first outside Scotland.
The context that makes it special
The tour noted that Forrest had missed his previous four cuts, since withdrawing from the British Masters, and arrived in Madrid 118th on the Race to Dubai Rankings.
“This year’s been a real struggle to this point,” he said, “and to walk away with the Spanish Open trophy and a spot in the Open and Augusta… I’m still in shock, to be honest.” He also admitted he had texted his wife before teeing off to say he hadn’t been this nervous in a long time, and that he “just tried to embrace it”.
What club golfers can learn
Missed cuts don’t mean a broken swing
Four missed cuts in a row would make most of us want to tear everything up and start again. Forrest clearly didn’t. A run of poor results is often about small drifts, such as a rushed tempo, a little extra sway or a subtle change in posture, rather than a fundamental problem.
That’s why measuring a few key habits is useful. Rather than guessing what’s gone wrong, you can compare your current swings with the ones you made when things were going well.
Nerves are normal; embrace them
Forrest’s admission that he was nervous is refreshing. Even tour winners feel it. The key is having a routine that works with nerves, not against them. A familiar tempo cue is one of the best tools for this, because nerves tend to speed everything up.
Short game wins tournaments
Forrest’s winning moment wasn’t a towering iron shot. It was an up-and-down from off the front of the green. The same is true at club level, where a reliable chip and a confident short putt save more shots than any driver.
Practice ideas for this week
- Compare “good” and “bad” swings. If you have old practice data or video from a good spell, compare it with now. Look at tempo, head movement and hip sway first.
- Hit ten chips with your full routine. Treat each one like it’s for the title. Then hole out every putt inside four feet.
- Play a “nerves” game. Before each shot, raise the stakes in your head. Notice whether your rhythm changes.
DE-SHANK keeps your swing history on your phone, so you can look back and see how your scores have changed over time. You can also email a session report to yourself or your coach. Take a look at all our features.
DE-SHANK gives estimates from one camera view. It’s designed for practice feedback, to help you spot habits and track trends.
Our take
From four missed cuts to a Masters invitation in a week is the kind of turnaround that keeps everyone in golf hopeful. The lesson for the rest of us: don’t panic during a bad run, look at the small things first, and accept that nerves are part of playing well.
More stories are waiting in our Golf News section.
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