Broken Toe, Big Win: Eugenio Chacarra Conquers India Championship
Spaniard Eugenio Chacarra overcomes a broken toe to win the India Championship, taking the lead in the Race to Dubai Rankings.
In a display of sheer grit and determination, Spaniard Eugenio Chacarra claimed victory at the India Championship, securing his third win of a sensational 2026 season. Despite battling a broken toe throughout the week, Chacarra dominated the USD 4 million event at the Delhi Golf Club, propelling himself to the top of the Race to Dubai Rankings.
A Marathon Sunday in Delhi
The tournament concluded in a grueling fashion, with Chacarra enduring a marathon day that saw him play 25 holes. Due to weather disruptions earlier in the event, the schedule was compressed, forcing the golfers to wake up at 4:00 AM for three consecutive days.
Chacarra entered the final stretch with seven holes remaining from the third round. He tore through them, carding five under with three birdies and a spectacular closing eagle. This surge gave him a commanding five-shot lead heading into the final round, which began almost immediately after the third round ended.
Overcoming Pain and Pressure
The Spaniard's road to the trophy was not without obstacles. Playing with a foot injury and physical exhaustion, Chacarra admitted that his body was struggling. However, his clinical performance—rounds of 67, 67, 63, and 70—resulted in a total of 21-under.
His overall stats for the tournament were impressive, recording 24 birdies and one eagle against only five bogeys. He finished just one stroke shy of the aggregate record set by Tommy Fleetwood in 2025.
The Final Round Drama
Chacarra started the final round with aggression, birdieing the first and the third holes to extend his lead to six shots. While he suffered his first bogey of the weekend at the sixth, he maintained a four-shot cushion entering the back nine.
The tension peaked during a "match play" scenario on the ninth hole against playing partner Angel Hidalgo. Chacarra saved par from 20 feet, forcing Hidalgo to attempt a difficult birdie putt; when Hidalgo missed, Chacarra's lead remained intact. He further solidified his position with a 17-foot birdie on the 11th.
New Zealand's Daniel Hillier mounted a late, fierce charge on the back nine, cutting the lead down to just two shots. Despite the mounting pressure, Chacarra held his nerve to finish at 21-under, while Hillier took second place at 19-under.
"It's great, after all the hard work I came close in the last couple of weeks and I wanted to get one quickly to get up on the rankings, and I played really good," an elated Chacarra remarked. "The last round was tough... My body wasn't there, I didn't feel good."
Climbing the Global Rankings
With this victory, Chacarra has overtaken Patrick Reed and Rory McIlroy to lead the Race to Dubai Rankings. This win marks his fourth overall title on the Tour, following his victory at the Hero Indian Open in early 2025, as well as the KLM Open and DS Automobiles 83° Open d’Italia in June.
As the regular season winds down with one event remaining, all eyes now turn to the Play-off events scheduled for Abu Dhabi and Dubai next month.
Long-term Boost for Indian Golf
While Chacarra celebrated his win, Indian golf fans received another piece of welcome news. DP World, the global smart logistics provider, confirmed that its partnership with the DP World India Championship will be extended through to 2035.
This announcement mirrors a larger agreement between DP World and the Tour, the biggest in the Tour's history, ensuring that DP World remains the Title Partner and Official Logistics Partner until 2035, continuing a journey of inclusivity and global connectivity in the sport that began in 2022.