Grant Forrest (left) and Romain Langasque
CARNOUSTIE, Scotland — Saturday's 36-hole championship match at the 120th British Amateur Championship will feature Scotland's Grant Forrest and France's Romain Langasque. The two players endured a second-straight long day at Carnoustie Golf Links, and have one last to face.
Forrest went 20 holes in Friday's quarterfinal matchup with countryman Greig Marchbank before sending Frenchman Alexandre Daydou home with a 4-and-2 defeat in the afternoon. Forrest turned 22 on Friday, and on Saturday he'll face his toughest test as an amateur player.
“I got off to a good start,” the recent University of San Diego graduate told the R&A. “If you had told me back in the [United] States that I would I be in the [British Amateur] Final I would have said ‘no way’. I have been struggling with my game in the last couple of months but I have been working hard and have managed to find my game again this week which has been great."
Langasque, 20, had to face his own countryman in the quarterfinals, as well, as he won with a par against University of Louisville senior Robin Sciot-Siegrist on the 18th hole to finish off a 2-up victory. In the afternoon, Langasque punched his ticket to the final with an extra-hole triumph over Jack McDonald of Scotland.
“I’m so happy to reach the final,” Langasque told the R&A. “Tomorrow I am going to have a lot of support from the federation and the people here for me so I just want to be on the first tee and play well."
Both finalists are no stranger to major victories.
Earlier this March, Langasque won the Ten Nations Cup, also known as the Southern Cross Invitational, which was held this year in Argentina. He held off the rest of the field by nine shots thanks to back-to-back 67s to close out the 72-hole event, beating Australia's Jarryd Felton by nine and Ireland's Gary Hurley by 10.
Meanwhile, Forrest won a playoff over the British Amateur defending champion Bradley Neil at last year's St. Andrews Links Trophy.
Should Forrest prevail on Saturday, he will be the second Scot in a row to lift the trophy, though Neil was the first winner from Scotland since 2004. A win for Langasque would make him the first French winner since 2006 and would make for the ninth different country represented in the winner's circle in the last nine years.
ABOUT THE British Amateur
This championship, along with the US Amateur Golf
Championship, is considered the most important in
amateur golf.
The first stage of the Championship involves 288
players each of whom plays two rounds of 18 holes,
one to be played on each of the two courses. The 64
lowest scores over the 36 holes and ties for 64th
place will compete in the match play stage of the
Championship. Each match will consist of one round
of 18 holes except the Final which will be over 36
holes.
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