Eugenio Chacarra's PGA Tour dreams are getting closer after 'unique' KLM win
Eugenio Chacarra called Sunday's win at the DP World Tour KLM Open “very special” because he won in front of his father. But Sunday's emotional victory in Amsterdam was also different because of what the former LIV Golf member had to bogey on his final hole en route to victory.
Chacarra arrived at the 72nd hole one shot ahead of Oliver Lindell, who played in the front group. As the tournament reaches its climax, protesters run onto the field and into the pool around the 18th green, flaming and chanting as the players make their way to the green. Lindell hit his approach shot on the par-5 as chaos ensued.
Lindell's approach came up short of the green, but he was still able to get up and down for a birdie to tie the lead and pressure Chacarra.
But Chacarra answered the bell. He drew his tee shot and sent his way back into the putt, giving him two easy putts to close for birdie and his second DP World Tour win.
“The picture of my career, maybe,” Chacarra said of his shot on the 18th green. “That was a little tweener, but with the adrenaline, I'm going to try to hit this one hard. [yards] longer than we thought. So, I'm proud to see the ball stay on the green and I took a good first putt to give me the putt you always dream of, the putt you really can't miss to win the tournament.”
DP World Tour staff have installed a green line to ensure that protesters cannot run into the venue when the tournament ends. The reason for the protest was not yet clear. Two years ago at the KLM Open, protesters from Extinction Rebellion delayed tee times for several hours.
After knocking in his short, closing birdie putt, Chacarra let out a loud scream, and the emotions began to flow.
“[I was thinking about] all the people who have been with me in my career,” said Chacarra after the win, which put him in the top 100 in the Official World Golf Rankings.
“It's nice to win with my dad here. He's given me everything since I was little so it was a special thing and I think about him, for sure.”
With the win, Chacarra is expected to move up to No. 6 in the season-long Race to Dubai standings. The top 10 players at the end of the year who have not been released on the PGA Tour will earn their 2027 cards.
Two weeks ago, Chacarra dropped out of a US Open qualifier in Dallas before he could get another spot at Shinnecock Hills. Chacarra explained that he needed to catch a flight to Belgium to prepare for the DP World Tour's Soudal Open. His main goal is to get to the PGA Tour and winning on the DP World Tour is the most direct path to that goal. He finished T22 that week and T12 the following week in Turkey.
On Sunday, Chacarra, 26, battled through difficult scoring conditions and a bogey on the final hole to claim his second win on the European Tour and move closer to his dream of playing on the PGA Tour.
“This is a step closer to that,” Chacarra said after his win.
After becoming the number 2 ranked amateur in the world, Chacarra joined LIV Golf in 2022. He spent three years on the Rebels circuit before his contract was not renewed after the 2024 season. After leaving LIV, Chacarra noted that the Saudi-backed league was “only about the money,” and that he wanted to pursue his early golf dreams.
“I know that this is what my heart tells me is right and it works for my motivation to get up and grind to be better, and to say that I can be a PGA Tour player one day,” Chacarra told Flushing It after leaving LIV. “So this decision is the best for me. I'm very grateful for what I did, but my mindset is different now and I want to reach what I dreamed of when I was young. Because obviously LIV didn't exist when I was growing up. I was watching Tiger Woods win on the PGA Tour, and I want to do that.”
After a dominant performance in Amsterdam, Eugenio Chacarra's PGA Tour dreams are ahead of him. All that remains is for him to finish the DP World Tour season strong and hold on.
