GRANT Forrest is aiming to continue building momentum as he gets ready to travel the world with the European Tour.

The county golfer is gearing up for his third season on the tour and feels his game is heading in the right direction as he seeks to move up the leaderboards of tournaments across the globe.

Forrest rose from 94th to 72nd in the European Tour rankings last year and made the cut at 81 per cent of tournaments, compared to 60 per cent the previous year.

He told Courier Sport: “I know where I am and want to get to.

“The European Tour is definitely a step up from the Challenge series but I think I have found my feet pretty well.

“I’m always just trying to improve every year and trying to win tournaments.

“My game is not far away and I’m tidying up on some bits, getting a bit more accurate from the tee, putting the ball in play more often and hitting the approach shots a bit closer.

“I’ve identified that as the main areas for improvement in the last two seasons.

“I’m working on that, and my short game and putting are pretty good but you need to maintain that.”

The new campaign gets under way today (Thursday) in the UAE with the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship, with Forrest one of eight Scots, including former Dunbar Grammar School pupil David Drysdale, in the field.

Next Thursday (January 28), it is on to the Omega Dubai Desert Classic at the Emirates Golf Club in Dubai before beginning February with the Saudi International powered by SoftBank Investment Advisers in Saudi Arabia.

The 27-year-old, who will stay in the Middle East for the duration of the three tournaments, said: “They are three good events to start the season with.

“They are good money events and if you get a good start then it sets you up for the season.”

Last season, Forrest clocked up six top-20 finishes, including a share of fourth – one shot behind winner Rasmus Hojgaard – at the Mauritius Open; sixth at the Golf in Dubai Championships; and joint-10th at the Oman Open.

He also took a tie of 19th at the rearranged Aberdeen Standard Investments Scottish Open at The Renaissance Club, Dirleton, where he has been playing over the winter.

He thanked Jerry Sarvadi, the club’s founder and chief executive, for allowing him to do so.

The Haddington-based golfer was able to relax over the festive period and stressed the importance of taking time away from the sport.

He said: “It is probably something I have not done enough.

“You go from playing college and amateur golf all the way through and you play all-year round and it is always somewhere nice and warm in the winter but never really take time completely away from the game.

“That’s something I’ve probably learned in the past year – that you need to switch off from it when you are not out there.

“As great as it is playing golf for a living, it is still your job.

“There are still the pressures of doing a lot of travelling and you definitely need your time away from it.”