If you ask Rory McIlroy, Justin Rose, or any number of professionals, almost everyone has benefited from the years-long battle between the PGA Tour, the DP World Tour and LIV Golf.
If he stays with the established tours, the emergency of LIV forced him to make the necessary changes; the stock markets rose and the stagnation ended. If you defected to the league then supported by Saudi Arabia, you secured riches that were exponentially greater than what professional golfers had thought possible. Some, like Bryson DeChambeauhave increased their popularity. Some, like Lee Westwood and Ian Poulter, had a nice payday as their careers reached the final stage. Others, like Brooks Koepka and Patrick Reedhe arrived before and left before the Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF) withdrew fundingsending LIV into a tailspin that landed the league in bankruptcy courtwhere it is sunk as the players come out. Time will tell how much defection costs the players Jon Rahm and Cameron Smith when it comes to major opportunities and general legacy, but they have also benefited greatly from the move and will probably get to return to the tour that their shores once set ablaze in time.
But while most of the many players of pro golf ended the civil war in the green, perhaps no one was a bigger winner than Eugenio Chacarra.
The young Spaniard was one of the first to leave for LIV Golf. He was the No. 2 amateur in the world while at Oklahoma State and elected to take a signing bonus to join Sergio Garcia’s Fireballs GC team in 2022 instead of pursuing his initial dream: the PGA Tour. Chacarra, a ball star, first won LIV, but then struggled with injuries. His contract was not renewed after the 2024 season, and he chose not to try to earn his place on the rebel tour via LIV Q School. In contrast, Chacarra brushed off his complaints about how things were done on LIV. He said it was “just money” and he wanted more. After earning $16 million in 34 starts on LIV, Chacarra wanted to pursue his original dreams and believed that his game could get there in time.
“I see what it’s like to win on the PGA Tour and how it changes your life,” Chacarra told Flushing It after leaving LIV. “How to get major access and ranking points. In LIV, nothing changes; there is only money. It doesn’t matter if you finish 30th or first, only money. I’m not a guy who wants more money. What will change my life is to play in Hawaii and qualify for the majors, qualify for the Masters, the Ryder Cup.”
Chacarra left LIV Golf and only had Asia Tour status. He received a few sponsor invitations on the DP World Tour, and made the most of them by winning the Hero Indian Open. He withdrew towards the end of the 2025 season, which meant he missed out on earning his PGA Tour card. Now 26 years old, Chacarra has invested in his nutrition and his recovery in 2026 so as not to miss the stretch of the DP World Tour season. He won the KLM Open and then backed it up with a win at the DS Automobiles 83rd Open d’Italia, all but securing his spot on the PGA Tour in 2027.
But Chacarra had bigger goals. Playing through a fractured toe, he posted a T3 finish at the French Open and a T2 at the Spanish Open to jump to No. 2 in the Race to Dubai standings ahead of Rory McIlroy and just behind Patrick Reed. The world talent that many believed was destined for Ryder Cups and major championships arrived on the big stage after a brief detour at LIV. Chacarra entered this week’s India DP World Championship hot on Reed’s heels, hoping to become only the third Spaniard to win the Race to Dubai title. He said he needed his “A game” to catch Reed and fend off McIlroy down the stretch of the season. He carried it this week at Delhi GC, posting rounds of 67-67-63-70 to beat Daniel Hillier by two and claim his third title of the season and top spot in the Race to Dubai standings.
After surviving the test at the claustrophobic Delhi GC, Chacarra was asked about his journey from world-class amateur to LIV defector to Race to Dubai boss. Chacarra, now a four-time DP World Tour champion with so many dreams within his reach, looked like someone who had played golf’s civil war perfectly. He got the initial financial windfall, played against some great seniors and then bet on himself, believing that his game could reach where he always wanted even if the path was different from what he expected.
“When I left LIV, I wanted to be in the majors, be in Ryder Cups, win tournaments on the DP World Tour, be on the PGA Tour. That’s what I’ve been dreaming about since I was little,” Chacarra said on Sunday in India. “Obviously, when I grew up, LIV (didn’t exist), but when LIV came, as one of the best amateurs in the world, it offered me something that I couldn’t say. I am very thankful for that. My time there was great. It helped (with many) things for my career. I have a great team that surrounds me. I can travel a little better. I can travel to LIV better. my family and my future family a great life.
“I am always grateful to LIV. Nothing bad to say. My time was done. I decided with my team and family that the next step was ready for me. As I said, I believe in myself. I believe that I can be one of the best players in the world, and this is what I wake up every morning dreaming of being one of the best players in the world and counting in the majors.”
Chacarra said he “lost motivation” towards the end of his time on LIV. That’s why he chose not to pursue Q School and a return to the rebel league. He saw the players he grew up competing and beating playing in Majors and Ryder Cups and winning on the PGA Tour and the DP World Tour. Eugenio Chacarra always had big goals – a trip to LIV didn’t change his ultimate wish. But he needed one thing before he was ready to become the player who entered the DP World Tour this year: believe.
“I lost motivation on the day, and we went the other way,” Chacarra said. “I believe in myself. I know what I am capable of. I was No. 2 amateur in the world. … I believe that I could be one of the best players in the professional world, and that is why I work hard every day. For me, the last thing you need is belief in yourself, and obviously it was not easy, but that motivated me more to work great things every day.”
When Eugenio Chacarra tapped for a closed par on Sunday, he punched the air with a powerful fist pump and was greeted by European Ryder Cup captain Luke Donald, who congratulated him and noted that he was now atop the Race to Dubai leaderboard. The 2027 Ryder Cup at Adare Manor is 11 months away, and Chacarra has put himself squarely on Donald’s radar as Europeans eye a historic three-peat.
Chacarra has a few more tournaments this year. He knows he will have to play well to beat Reed and McIlroy, who is gunning for a record eighth Race to Dubai title. He hopes to finish the year in the top 50 in the OWGR to earn his first invitation to the Masters. But one of Chacarra’s ultimate goals is to get a different kind of congratulations from Donald next year — one that says he’s finally gotten to where he’s always imagined.
“I told Luke on the day I want to be in that team, not just a pick,” Chacarra said Sunday of making Donald’s team. “I want to be one of the six (automatic) places. So this is one of the goals that we have in the team. I have worked very hard for this. We are still a year away, but I know what I am capable of. I know that I am a good player. I have a lot of charisma, and I just want to keep getting better and keep winning.”
He already has the biggest victory under his belt – one he got by playing the civil war of golf perfectly – and now everything Eugenio Chacarra wanted is right in front of him.
