Incredible shot from former LIV golfer pushes him into Dunhill lead
Tim Schmitt- Eugenio Chacarra holds a two-shot lead at the halfway point of the Alfred Dunhill Championship.
- The former LIV Golf member is back on the DP World Tour and has finished in the top 40 in his last four starts.
- Chacarra previously stated he felt lied to by LIV Golf regarding promises of major championship access and world ranking points.
- During the second round, he hit a remarkable recovery shot that nearly resulted in an albatross on a par 5.
Eugenio Chacarra has been forced to trudge through difficult situations in the past, but he's often proven equal to the task.
The former LIV Golf member, who said he was lied to about what the league would do for him when he joined as a youngster in 2022, is back on the DP World Tour and has finished in the top 40 in each of his last four starts.
On Friday, during the second round of the Alfred Dunhill Championship at Royal Johannesburg Club in Johannesburg, South Africa, the Spanish star found himself in a tough spot when his drive on the opening par 5 went right behind a long row of trees. That didn't faze the former Oklahoma State star, who hit a low liner that clipped the trees, skirted just around a bunker and nearly dropped for an albatross.
Starting Friday tied for the lead at 9 under, Chacarra quickly found himself trailing home favorite Jayden Schaper by the time he teed off, but a blistering start helped close the gap, as he came agonizingly close to the albatross, ultimately settling for an eagle instead.
Three birdies on the front pushed him into a one-shot lead at the turn, but consecutive bogeys on the ninth and tenth knocked him off the top of the leaderboard.
Undeterred, Chacarra rallied with three more birdies on the back nine to finish at 15 under par, seizing a two-shot advantage at the halfway stage. After an opening-round 63, Chacarra finished the second round with a 66 and sits at 15 under through two rounds of play. Schaper is 13 under and two players are a shot behind him.
Chacarra was the first former LIV Golf player to rip into the league when he gave an interview earlier this year.
“When I joined LIV, they promised OWGR and majors. But it didn’t happen. I trusted them. I was the first young guy, then the others came after I made the decision. But OWGR and majors still hasn’t happened," he said. "It’s frustrating, but I’m excited for the new opportunity and to see where my game takes me.
"I see what it’s like to win on the PGA Tour and how your life changes. How you get major access and ranking points. On 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 playing in Hawaii and qualifying for the majors, qualifying for the Masters, the Ryder Cup."
Laurie Canter became the first former LIV player to compete in a PGA Tour event at the Players Championship. Two weeks ago at the Rocket Classic, James Piot, the 2021 U.S. Amateur winner and former LIV golfer, received an exemption to play in his home-state event.
Chacarra had four starts in PGA Tour events before joining LIV Golf, making the cut at the 2021 Sanderson Farms Championship, and two major appearances, though he had never been a full-time member.