Andy DevaneyGrant Forrest returns to the Nexo Championship defending more than a trophy.
The 33-year-old can become only the second Scot, after Major champion Paul Lawrie, to win three DP World Tour titles on home soil — a neat slice of history to chase in Aberdeenshire, where the wind can make fools of tidy plans.
Forrest has Scottish history within reach
Forrest’s record at home is persuasive. His maiden DP World Tour victory came at the Hero Open at Fairmont St Andrews in 2021, before he added last year’s Nexo Championship by four shots from England’s Joe Dean at Trump International Golf Links.
That second win put him alongside Colin Montgomerie and Robert MacIntyre as Scots with two home victories. A successful defence would move him into rarer company.
“I love it. I mean, both my wins have been in Scotland, so there must be something in that. I love playing golf in Scotland, and we have amazing golf courses and links courses especially, so I definitely love playing at home.”
There is some rust to negotiate. Forrest arrives after a five-week break and four top-20 finishes this season, with his preparation complicated by sinus surgery.
“Up to the Scottish Open, it’s been a little bit of a quiet season so far, but I don’t feel like it’s a million miles away. I had a five-week break, and I had surgery on my sinuses during the break, so I wasn’t able to do as much sort of practice as I maybe would have liked over the past two weeks. I’m feeling decent about my game, it doesn’t feel a million miles away, so hopefully we can put some good golf together this week.”
Patrick Reed brings the Race to Dubai lead
The champion will hardly have the place to himself. Patrick Reed headlines the field as Race to Dubai leader and returns to the DP World Tour for his first event since The Open.
This is the first of five consecutive starts for the World Number 32, who earlier in the season won twice in three weeks. His larger objective is clear: extend his advantage in the points race and stay in position to win the season-long title.
The course may disagree. Reed described it as a mix of links and parkland, with demanding green complexes and thick grass in the dunes. Practice had been relatively calm, but memories of last year’s wind were already circulating. Links golf does enjoy an ominous weather anecdote.
The Murray family supply the pro-am subplot
Reed’s Wednesday pro-am pairing offered a Scottish sporting tableau. He played alongside Sir Andy Murray, Judy Murray and Jamie Murray, with the tennis pedigree rather more established than their collective golf CV.
“It was such a pleasure playing with the Murray family (in the pro-am), and to kind of get to be able to experience and talk to other high-profile athletes. Andy’s usually playing a different sport, and it is always fun to see a competitive side come out, but also that athletic side.
But the highlight of the day was Mum (Judy) goes out, drives the green on seven and then makes birdie on her natural birdie ball. If I remember correct, that might have been the only natural birdie of the three on the front nine.”
There are worse ways to settle family bragging rights.
Scotland’s home challenge runs deeper than Forrest
Forrest is the home headline, but he is one of 15 Scots in the field. Cameron Adam arrives after setting a course record at the Danish Golf Championship, an achievement that earned him $30,000 from Nexo. The Global Amateur Pathway Ranking winner now makes his first DP World Tour appearance on Scottish soil.
Aberdeen local David Law adds another local interest, giving the galleries more than one name to follow if Forrest’s title defence meets the trouble links golf keeps in reserve.
Closing Swing stakes sharpen the Nexo Championship
The Nexo Championship concludes the DP World Tour’s Closing Swing, the last of five Global Swings on the 2026 Race to Dubai. Exemptions into the Back 9 and the next Rolex Series event, the BMW PGA Championship, are also available.
This is the tournament’s third edition. It first appeared on the DP World Tour schedule in 2020 as the Scottish Championship and returns to the Old Course at Trump International Golf Links for a second consecutive year.
Forrest knows the route, the crowd and the peculiar experience of seeing his face plastered around the property. This time the prize is larger than another trophy: a third Scottish title and a place beside Lawrie in the home record books.
On a links course, naturally, history may be the simple part. First comes the wind.
