Hero Indian Open golf: Eugenio Chacarra clinches career-altering win

Gurugram: “It’s life changing,” an emotional Eugenio Chacarra kept repeating, voicing quivering in the moments after sealing victory and then in a more assured tone. The young Spaniard had coasted to a career-altering two-shot win in the $2.25 million Hero Indian Open, surmounting the tough DLF Golf and Country Club course for a maiden victory on the DP World Tour in only the ninth tournament.

The 25-year-old, overnight leader by one shot, had a roller-coaster start to the final round, in keeping with an eventful nascent pro golf career since 2022. Brilliant in ball striking, Chacarra shook off a double bogey and bogey on the first and third holes to roar back with birdies on the 6th, 9th, 11th, 12th and 14th holes for a four-shot lead. A bogey on the 17th didn’t matter as the rangy Spaniard two-putted on the 18th, tapping in for the winning par putt, fist-pumping and throwing up his arms in celebration.

Chacarra shot one-under 71 to finish four-under for the tournament, beating defending champion Keita Nakajima by two shots. The Japanese went 35 holes without a birdie going back to Round 2 until he had two – on the 15th and 18th – to card 72, finishing second like he did last week in the Singapore Classic. Netherlands’ Joost Luiten was third after a 71. Only the top three were under-par for the tournament.

The victory ensures a DP World Tour card for the Madrid-born this season, with playing status for the next two years. However, so unsettled was he that Chacarra had needed a sponsor’s invitation from Hero to get into this week, which shows how career-altering this win that also fetched him $382,500 can be.

“You need to start by thanking Hero…very grateful for that opportunity. Without them, it’s probably I’m not on this spot right now,” Chacarra said. “I like hard golf…we know how this course is. The wind changes for one second and then you’re like 20 yards short.”

“This win means everything…my family didn’t sleep last night. It’s going to need to sink in, but I’m really proud. I’m just, just happy… “When I’m healthy and focused and am having fun, I can beat a lot of the best players in the world. So, I already proved that.”

It has an eventful ride so far. Chacarra had planned to take the US college route into the PGA Tour, but dropped out to join LIV Golf in 2022. Although he won there, and the International Series event at St Andrews, Scotland in August 2023 (an Asian Tour-LIV Golf event), he was let go by LIV in 2024. He had spoken of wanting to play in Europe and on the PGA Tour event rather than chase money on LIV. He was unsettled, yet finished T5 on the International India tournament on this course in February.

That performance perhaps helped earn this week’s entry and Chacarra showed what a gifted player he is on the unforgiving Gary Player-designed course. Tied for the halfway lead with Nakajima, and one shot ahead on Round 3, the win though could have slipped away.

Three dropped shots in the first three holes saw Chacarra fall back on his driving ability while Nakajima drew defensive. “Me and my caddie Hugo, we decided to be aggressive, my ball striking has been brilliant this week. I don’t think I missed the fairway with my driver all week,” he said. “I had struggled to find equipment, coming from college, amateur to pro,” he added on uncertainties that he expects to go now.

He rallied with a six-foot birdie on the sixth and the next on the ninth, following great control of ball flight in the wind. A beautiful, long birdie putt snaked into the 11th hole, giving him the lead for good. A 14-foot birdie putt on the 12th made it two shots clear. Chacarra was flying.

A sprinkling of magic, luck and adrenalin combined for the 14th hole birdie. His chip from the greenside rough did send the ball racing, but it arrowed in on the flag, wobbled and dropped. The winner was effectively decided. He didn’t stutter despite a bogey on the tough 17th hole after finding long grass on fringes of the green.

India’s best were tied 17th at 8-over par for the tournament -- Veer Ahlawat (75), Gaganjeet Bhullar (73) and Om Prakash Chouhan (71) – his was one of only seven sub-par rounds. Ajeestesh Sandhu was T31 at 10-over while Shubhankar Sharma ended T43 at 12-over after a 75.