Emerging out of wilderness Eugenio Chacarra clinches Hero Indian Open to book European Tour status | Golf News

Until last week, Eugenio Chacarra was not even sure that he would be playing the Hero Indian Open. The former World No.2 amateur golf player had signed up with the rebel LIV Golf tour as soon as he turned professional in 2022. After his contract was not renewed in 2024, the 25-year-old from Spain had no official status on any tour, playing tournaments thanks to special invites – the same way he got into the event at the DLF Golf and Country Club after impressing at the International Series event here last month.
On Sunday, he made sure he would emerge out of the wilderness. Chacarra, the clubhouse leader at the start of the day, put together a gutsy round of one-under 71 to win the tournament, leading defending champion, Japan’s Keita Nakajima, two strokes at the close of play.
The Madrid native now has guaranteed status to the European Tour (now ‘DP World Tour’) until 2027 after winning the $2.25 million event in Gurugram. “It (entry into this tournament) probably changed my life,” Chacarra would say after the victory, before words of high confidence emerged: “I know when I play my best, I’m one of the best players in the world.”
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With his third professional title and the biggest of his career, Chacarra, a former top collegiate player in the United States, proved to be well worth the hype that surrounded him as an amateur. He did so excelling on a course that caused problems to the entire field.
Taming brutal course
The final day of a brutal, up-and-down tournament began with a jolt to Chacarra. After staying consent for much of Saturday to go into the clubhouse lead, the Spaniard dropped two strokes to cause a four-way tie at the top of the leaderboard his third hole itself.
This course has been unforgiving in particular this year. And it has spared nobody. A grand total of three players ended with a cumulative score that was under par. The winning score of four-under par was thirteen strokes more than Nakajima’s score last year, and six strokes more than the winning total of the IS event last month. The day’s best card was a two-under 70, one stroke less than it was on Saturday.
Considering the wild swings and momentum shifts that these conditions caused throughout the week, the key to doing well was finding the pin on the few holes where things flowed one’s way. And on Sunday, Chacarra locked in to do that on multiple occasions in phenomenal fashion.Story continues below this ad
He found laser-eyed approach shots on the sixth and the ninth hole to set up easy birdie putts. On the green, after struggling the previous three days, Chacarra found excellent form when called upon: he sunk two monster putts for birdies on the 11th and 12th. A bonus stroke was gained on the 14th with the most spectacular shot of the day, wedging out of the rough to make it straight to the pin.
These were chances that his opponents, even the very few that managed to fashion them, simply failed to take. Ultimately he deservedly took the win on a devilish course that even Nakajima, the defending champion who carded the week’s best single-round score of 66 on Friday, could not tame.
“It was a tough day. We knew it was going to be a long day, going be a lot of pressure and I didn’t have the start that I really wanted to. But we know how this course is. The wind changes for one second and then you’re like 20 yards short,” Chacarra said.
“I got a couple of good bounces. That chip on 14 and that ball on 17, they were good shots and then they ended up in the bad spots. I think I got some good bounces and you need some like that to win. But very proud, I don’t have words right now,” he would later say.Story continues below this ad
The only way now is up, he believes. After this week’s display, it may be hard to disagree.
Indian Open final results: Eugenio Chacarra (ESP): -4 (70-70-73-71); Keita Nakajima (JPN): -2 (74-66-74-72); Joost Luiten (NED): -1 (69-73-74-71); Jens Dantorp (SWE): PAR (71-71-73-73); Adrien Sadier (FRA): +2 (74-70-72-72).
© The Indian Express Pvt Ltd

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