Eugenio Chacarra has boldly claimed he is “one of the best players in the world” after claiming his first DP World Tour title at the Hero Indian Open on Sunday. The Spanish golfer only participated at the event in Gurgaon, India, after receiving an invite from his sponsor. But he overcame a miserable start to the tournament to finish top of the pile and claim his first title on the DP World Tour, putting him in contention to land a PGA Tour slot.
The 25-year-old was top of the leaderboard heading into the last day, only to double-bogey the first hole. However, he recovered with birdies at the sixth, ninth, 11th, 12th and 14th holes to limit the damage and finished four-under-par. That put him two shots clear of his nearest challenger Keita Nakajima to claim the title and the £309,000 ($400,000) prize. Following his memorable win, he has now earned DP World Tour status and a chance to secure a PGA Tour card at the end of the season.
Chacarra was left full of gratitude for the tournament sponsors after gifting him the chance to change the course of his career: “You guys [Hero] probably changed my life,” Chacarra said. “It was a tough day, we knew it was going to be a long day with a lot of pressure and obviously not having the start I wanted to.
“I think I did a great job all week of staying patient and I know God was helping me today. I got a couple of good bounces [including] that chip on 14. I got some luck that you need to win but very proud. I know when I play my best I’m one of the best players in the world, I’ve already proved that a million times. It’s just awesome. It’s going to need to sink in but really proud and just happy.”
Chacarra was the No. 2 ranked amateur when he turned professional in 2022 after leaving Oklahoma State. He won in Bangkok on his fifth start but struggled to build on that and recorded just two top-10 finishes in the last two seasons.
The Madrid native did not have any status on a major tour after LIV Golf opted not to renew his contract, having previously been part of Sergio Garcia’s Fireballs team. But his lucky break at the DP World Tour event could be what he needs to gain a PGA Tour card at the end of the season.
With the win, he now has a DP World Tour card through to 2027. With his talent and plenty of starts ahead of him, Chacarra will believe he has a real chance at snagging one of the 10 PGA Tour cards handed out by the DP World Tour to its top 10 Race to Dubai finishers at the end of the campaign.
