Grant Forrest beaten in Amateur final

• Heartbreak for Grant Forrest who was beaten at Carnoustie
• Romain Langasque defeated the Craigielaw man 4&2
• The Frenchman seals his place in next month’s Open

It was heartbreak for Craigielaw’s Grant Forrest in the final of the 120th Amateur Championship on Saturday as Frenchman Romain Langasque saw off the challenge of the Scot at Carnoustie.

The 20-year-old sealed the 4&2 win in the 36-hole final on the par-3 34th hole when Forrest conceded the match after his tee shot had gone through the back of the green, and his chip coming back went past the hole with Langasque facing a 10ft birdie putt.

Earlier in the day, Forrest, 22, had been as far as 7DN from Langasque and admitted afterwards that it was always going to be difficult to come back from that far behind.

“This week has been a great confidence boost for me” – Grant Forrest

“The start this afternoon really killed it for me,” said Grant Forrest. “Coming back from seven down was always going to be a tall order.

“The bunker on the 15th (the 33rd) is one of the few bunkers on the course you can move the ball forward from and he hit a great shot. I ended up getting a half and If I had won that hole then two down with three to play is a lot different.

“This week has been a great confidence boost for me which is just what I needed at this point. My confidence was a bit low because I hadn’t been playing well. I am disappointed not to have won but it is good to see that I can compete in a championship like this.”

CONTINUES BELOW…

Meanwhile, Langasque, who becomes the third Frenchman to win the Amateur Championship after Philippe Ploujoux in 1981 and Julien Guerrier in 2006, was understandably overjoyed with his achievement.

“This is just a dream for me. It is just incredible that I am going to play at St Andrews in one month’s time for the Open.

“I played ok for the first two rounds and then the more the competition advanced the more I played well. This morning was my best round of the championship and I played really well.”

As well as the 144th Open at St Andrews, Langasque has also gained a place in next year’s US Open at Oakmont and, traditionally, an invitation to the Masters Tournament.

Grant Forrest :: Success ahead?

After his runner-up finish at Carnoustie, is success on the horizon for Grant Forrest? Leave your thoughts below.