Grant Forrest of Scotland extended his strong showing at the Open de Espana, pulling ahead by a single stroke heading into the weekend.
After sharing the lead at five‑under with fellow Scot Conner Syme and Spain’s Eugenio Chacarra on Thursday, Forrest carded a four‑under 67 in round two, moving to nine‑under and seizing a one‑stroke advantage at Club de Campo Villa de Madrid.
Syme posted a 68 for a joint‑second spot, level with Switzerland’s Joel Girrbach, who rattled off five straight birdies from the fourth hole to finish on 66.
“That turned out to be a really good score,” Forrest said, noting his two‑time third‑place finishes at the Spanish Open in 2021 and 2024 and his flawless record of never missing a cut in six tries. For my money, his consistency makes him a serious contender.
“I wasn’t at my best on the opening five or six holes, but I saved pars when needed, kept the momentum, and then racked up a handful of birdies.”
He found his drive in the last 12 holes and was thrilled with a four‑under round. It probably wasn’t as smooth as yesterday.
“Clearly, I’ve posted a couple of solid scores over the past two days.”
“It’s hard to predict when a day like Thursday arrives – five under through nine holes and you surge up the leaderboard – versus a steadier round that picks up toward the finish. I’ll just keep my foot down.”
Eugenio Chacarra, battling a fractured toe on home turf, and England’s Joe Dean sit at eight‑under, while Denmark’s Jacob Skov Olesen and Jeff Winther trail by one, joined by France’s Martin Couvra, Victor Perez and New Zealand’s Daniel Hillier.
Race‑to‑Dubai leader Patrick Reed missed the cut, and a Sunday win would catapult Chacarra past Rory McIlroy and the American.
Find top rates and reserve a tee time at any of the 1,700 UK & Ireland courses.