Eugenio Chacarra’s Race to Dubai campaign took an unexpected hit when his driver broke during Wednesday’s pro-am at Yas Links in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. Forced to switch to an unfamiliar backup, the Spaniard missed all nine fairways on the front nine before recovering to post a 2-under 70 in his opening round.
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“It was a big fight, you know. I turned on 1-over; I finished 2-under,” Chacarra said after a round featuring six birdies and four bogeys. “I’m happy that I fight it. I’m happy with the fight. And I just need to go do some work on the range to find a driver for tomorrow.”
The break came on his 60th shot of the Abu Dhabi Aldar Championship, leaving little time to adjust before the tournament began. Chacarra had used the same driver since February, and the replacement’s noticeably higher loft disrupted the familiar feel of his setup.
“I’ve been with that driver since February. I know a lot about that face, I know a lot about the driver. And even though the backups, they say it’s the same, it definitely wasn’t the same,” he explained. “I see a little more loft on the club. It started getting in my head, and I was kind of like hitting across a bit, and I hit zero fairways on the front nine.”
What the miss cost
The difficult start coincided with increasingly challenging conditions at Yas Links. Chacarra said that the wind picked up and that the greens deteriorated compared with the morning wave, leaving little room for error when he repeatedly found himself playing from the rough.
“If you miss nine fairways, you’re going to make some bogeys,” he acknowledged.
Four birdies on the back nine helped him recover from the opening stretch. His only regret was the 17th, where he chased a birdie rather than accepting the opportunity to two-putt from around 30 feet.
The 70 also came as Chacarra’s closest Race to Dubai challengers struggled to capitalize. Patrick Reed’s card had a birdie, a bogey and a double on the last for a 74, leaving him tied for 56th. Rory McIlroy, meanwhile, appeared to have recovered from a double-bogey 6 at the 12th with three birdies in his next four holes to sign for a 4-under 68.
However, the score did not stand. After reviewing television footage in the scoring area following his round, officials assessed McIlroy a two-shot penalty for improving his lie at the 12th. The ruling converted his double-bogey 6 into a quadruple-bogey 8, changing his overall score from 68 to 70. He consequently finished level with Chacarra, eight shots behind leader Francesco Laporta, who opened with a 62.
An overnight search for answers
Chacarra left the course with three shafts, two driver heads and several weights to experiment with, hoping to settle on a suitable combination before the next round. He normally travels with three drivers, but now has only two available. Without a launch monitor, he must rely largely on what he sees during testing.
“I can see in the air spinning way more than I needed,” he said. “It’s just a matter of kind of like cooking it a little, and hopefully I can get a better driver tomorrow.”
The timing is particularly significant. Chacarra entered the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship leading the Race to Dubai standings by 669.27 points over Reed and by 999.03 over McIlroy. With 9,000 points available this week and another 12,000 at next week’s DP World Tour Championship, the title race remains far from settled.
A victory in Abu Dhabi would strengthen Chacarra’s position considerably, while Reed and McIlroy need strong finishes to close the gap before the season finale.
Chacarra takes a lesson from McIlroy
Despite his own struggles, Chacarra found something to learn from watching McIlroy recover from his double-bogey at the 12th. Rather than allowing the mistake to affect the rest of his round, the Northern Irishman responded with three birdies in his next four holes.
“When he made that double on 12, how he reacted,” Chacarra said. “Birdied three of the next four. That is something that I still don’t do. A bogey or a double affects me more than it needs to.”
Interestingly, Chacarra also defended McIlroy over the penalty that ultimately cost him two shots. He revealed that he had spoken to officials because he did not believe McIlroy had improved his lie, pointing to the fluffy grass around the ball and how it could move under the weight of a club.
“I told him I was happy to fight for it because I didn’t think he improved it,” Chacarra said. “In the video, it doesn’t look great. But I don’t think he improved it at all.”
Chacarra nevertheless expects the penalty to motivate his playing partner heading into the next round. “He’s going to go fired up tomorrow,” he predicted. “He’s going to probably shoot the lowest round of the day.”
Chacarra now needs a strong response of his own. His opening 70 kept him level with McIlroy, but with the Race to Dubai title at stake, finding a dependable setup overnight could prove crucial.