Forrest awaits cap call after final triumph

Golf Correspondent

Monday 6 August 2012

Grant Forrest achieved the biggest win of his blossoming career in the Scottish Amateur Championship at Royal Dornoch on Saturday.

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Nick Rodger

Now, the 19-year-old Craigielaw member is set to realise another long-held ambition.

The Scotland squad for next week's Home Internationals at Glasgow Gailes will be unveiled later today and Forrest's name will surely be etched down on the team sheet after his 9&7 triumph over Bearsden's Richard Docherty in the 36-hole showdown.

During a week in which the majority of the national squad again failed to deliver – Glenbervie's Graeme Robertson, the No.1 seed, at least reached the quarter-finals – Forrest's impressive series of displays must have given the selectors something positive to cling to ahead of the annual four-cornered contest with England, Wales and Ireland in Ayrshire.Having won the Scottish boys' matchplay title in 2010, Forrest's capture of the men's equivalent is another notable stepping stone in his development. A call-up to the senior international scene now beckons."A couple of years ago, the men's game seemed such a level up to what I was playing at but now I've made it," said the former Scottish under-16 champion, whose latest title triumph came just three weeks after the death of his father, Graeme. "My aim has always been to get into the Scotland squad and earn a men's cap and, hopefully, I've done enough to merit that now."Forrest was heading for Turkey on a family holiday this week but would be more than happy to cut short his trip and return to Scotland in time to prepare for the Home Internationals, which get underway next Wednesday. With three more years at the University of San Diego, Forrest is in no rush to map out any professional plans although he is looking forward to a taste of life among the pros next summer when he is likely to receive an invitation to the Scottish Open."I've never played in a professional event and that would be something special," he added. "But I've not thought about turning professional. I want to complete my university degree and have something behind me before I make any decisions."Despite ushering in Saturday's final with a semi-shank off the tee, Forrest swiftly took charge of the match and won the first four holes as the unheralded Docherty nervously toiled through the opening exchanges.It was not a classic final – Forrest admitted it had been the worst he'd played from tee to green in eight matches of a gruelling week – and having found himself on the back foot so early, Docherty never looked like threatening his opponent's advantage.Four holes to the good at lunch, Forrest pulled away in the afternoon to record the biggest win in the SGU's flagship event since Colin Montgomerie won 9&8 in the 1987 final at Nairn. "The difference in our short games was massive," said Docherty. "He was a genius and I was clueless."

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Forrest awaits cap call after final triumph

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