Staff WriterGrant Forrest has blown the lid off Trump International Golf Links, setting a new course record to snatch the halfway lead at the Nexo Championship.
The Scotsman carved his way around the blustery Aberdeenshire layout with a six-under-par 66, climbing to seven under for the week and holding a one-shot cushion over England’s Jordan Smith.
For a man who’s been wrestling with his game for much of the 2025 DP World Tour season, this was a performance that looked like it had been shipped straight from the glory days.
Perhaps it was the benefit of a three-week sabbatical, spent not grinding on the range but at home with his wife and their eight-month-old. Whatever the reason, Forrest found his groove.
“It was tough again today,” Forrest said. “The wind was up and I just played brilliant to be honest. I gave myself loads of really good chances and controlled my ball really well. I rolled a couple of putts in and left a couple out there and overall had a great day.”
The round began like a tartan freight train — back-to-back birdies out of the gate, a little nibble on the fourth and fifth to join Smith and overnight leader Richard Sterne at five under, and then, after a brief detour via a bogey on seven, an instant bounce-back birdie on eight. Two more red numbers on ten and sixteen put him out in front, leaving the rest to chase.
“It’s probably the second best career round in these conditions behind Fairmont when I won,” Forrest added. “I shot ten under on a day which probably started as windy as today and got even windier. This is definitely up there.
“You don’t get too many of those days where things really happen for you. This season has been a bit of a struggle for the most part, so just to play some really good golf is really encouraging.
I’ve had three weeks at home so just spending time with the wife and our eight-month-old, so just soaking all that up. I felt pretty relaxed going into this week, I’m quite comfortable in these conditions and just happy with the way the game’s going.”
Smith kept things tight with a final-hole birdie to notch back-to-back 69s and sit alone in second on six under. Sterne, meanwhile, went the other way — a two-over 74 dropping him into third, two shots further back.
The Dutch contingent had something to smile about as Daan Huizing turned in a blemish-free 69 for solo fourth. One shot behind lurks a small United Nations of contenders: England’s Todd Clements and Alex Fitzpatrick, South African Justin Harding, Australia’s David Micheluzzi, and Finland’s Oliver Lindell.
Forrest will tee it up on Saturday with a slender lead, a home crowd at his back, and a breeze that’s likely to make Aberdeenshire feel more like the inside of a tumble dryer.
If he can keep this up, the Nexo Championship might just become the turning point in what’s been a turbulent season.
