David Law feels 'completely spent' in battle to keep DP World Tour card as two Scots share early lead

The Aberdonian is playing for a ninth week in a row in this week’s Open de Espana presented by Madrid, having squeezed into the $3.75 million event on the back of his recent good play.

Law is one of three players teeing up at Club de Campo in the Spanish capital as the leading available DP World Tour members in the top 100 of the 2026 Race to Dubai Ranking at the conclusion of the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship last Sunday.

It’s another chance for Law, who has gradually climbed up to 95th over the past few weeks on the back of making six straight cuts after being outside the safety zone at the midpoint in the campaign, to pick up all-important points in the battle to finish in the top 100 in the season-long standings.

“The physical side is completely out of the window as I am spent,” Law, who opened with a one-over-par 72 on Thursday after dropping three shots in his last five holes, told The Scotsman. “This is my ninth week in a row. If this was at the start of the season, I wouldn’t be able to do it. It’s down to everything riding on it that is keeping me going.”

The 35-year-old, who won the ISPS Handa Vic Open in his rookie season in 2019, was two under early in his round before dropping back to par but had eagled the par-5 fourth before faltering at the finish.

“You just need to keep playing when you get the opportunities and it would be nice to be within my control,” he added. “I’m playing some good stuff at the moment.

“It’s just a case of getting the foot down and keep playing, keep trying to make cuts and wait for that big week as the golf is definitely trending in the right direction. It’s obviously been stressful for me the last wee while. Yeah, it would be good to finish the season strongly.”

The former Scottish Amateur champion is definitely in the field for next week’s DP World India World Tour Championship but, along with the likes of Daniel Young, Euan Walker and Cameron Adam, he is sweating over a spot in the season-ending Genesis Championship in Korea.

“I’ll need to play my way into that one as well,” admitted Law, who won twice on the HotelPlanner Tour last season to regain his seat at the top table after a year back on the second-tier circuit.

“It’s so hard to play golf at any professional level and maintain the level you are playing at,” he added, having watched his close friend Michael Stewart grinding away on lower-tier tours since they played boys’ golf against each other. I’ve been lucky that this is my seventh season on the DP World Tour. I’m proud of that, being able to stay out here for as long as I have.”

It was a good day for two other Scots in Madrid, with Connor Syme and Grant Forrest both signing for a five-under-par 66 to share a three-way lead with home player Eugenio Chacarra.

Starting on the 10th, Syme made a quick start with back-to-back birdies then rolled in a 52-foot putt at the 15th as he headed into the turn on five under.

A tap-in birdie at the par-5 fourth saw Syme take the solo lead, but he was then not able to save par on the eighth after finding the rough off the tee.

Forrest also started his round on the back nine and after two bogeys, on 13 and then three, he finished strongly with a run of three birdies through the closing six holes.

Chacarra carded the lowest first round in seven appearances at his national open with a 66, which included two eagles as well as three bogeys, to also share the lead.

Also out in the morning wave in Madrid, Stewart signed for an opening 72, which was a decent effort given that he’d talked about having a “whirlwind few days” since finishing joint-fourth in the 25th Dunhill Links.