Scotland’s Grant Forrest has moved into sole possession of the halfway lead at the Open de Espana, holding a one-shot advantage as play heads to the weekend. The Scottish golfer recorded a four-under-par 67 on Friday to finish at nine-under-par overall at Club de Campo Villa de Madrid.
Forrest enters Saturday alongside a group that included fellow Scot Conner Syme and Spanish local Eugenio Chacarra after both finished the opening round at five-under-par. Syme then carded a 68 in the second round, while Switzerland’s Joel Girrbach shot a 66, fueled by five consecutive birdies from the fourth hole, to share second place.
The result keeps Forrest’s strong record in Spain intact. He has never missed the cut in six previous appearances at the national open and has secured two tied-third finishes, most recently in 2024. Reflecting on his performance, Forrest noted that while he did not drive the ball as well early on, he managed to keep momentum through key par saves before finding his range over the final 12 holes.
“It was a really good score in the end,” Forrest said. “I probably didn’t play quite as well as yesterday, but I started driving it well the last 12 holes and delighted with four under.”
Chacarra, competing on home soil despite playing with a fractured toe, sits at eight-under-par alongside England’s Joe Dean. Several other notable golfers remain within striking distance, including Denmark’s Jacob Skov Olesen and Jeff Winther, France’s Martin Couvra and Victor Perez, and New Zealand’s Daniel Hillier, all one shot behind the leaders.
A victory on Sunday would allow Chacarra to surpass both Rory McIlroy and Patrick Reed—recent leader of the Race to Dubai Rankings, who missed the cut—in the standings. The tournament continues on Saturday with live coverage on Sky Sports Golf starting at 12:30 pm.
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