Eugenio Chacarra’s Race to Dubai Halted by Broken Driver

‘It Was a Big Fight’: Eugenio Chacarra’s Race to Dubai Campaign Suffers Costly Setback After Equipment Failure

Eugenio Chacarra’s driver cracked on the 60th shot of Wednesday’s pro-am at Yas Links in Abu Dhabi.

The Spaniard, who leads the Race to Dubai standings, was forced to switch to a backup club he had never used in competition.

He missed all nine fairways on the front nine of Thursday’s opening round at the Abu Dhabi Aldar Championship.

“It was a big fight, you know,” Chacarra said after signing for a 2-under 70.

“I turned on 1-over; I finished 2-under. 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.”

Chacarra had used the same driver since February — roughly nine months of trust built into one clubface.

“I’ve been with that driver since February,” he explained.

“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.”

The replacement head had a noticeably higher loft, which altered the ball flight and the feel of his setup.

“I see a little more loft on the club,” Chacarra said.

“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.”

The conditions at Yas Links only made the situation worse.

Wind picked up as the afternoon wave went out, and the greens became firmer and more deteriorated compared with the morning groups.

“If you miss nine fairways, you’re going to make some bogeys,” Chacarra acknowledged.

He made four bogeys on the front nine, offset by two birdies, to turn at 1-over.

Then he found something on the back nine — four more birdies against no bogeys — to claw back to 2-under for the round.

His only regret came at the 17th hole, where he chased a birdie putt from around 30 feet rather than accepting a two-putt par.

Chacarra finished the day tied with Rory McIlroy at 2-under, eight strokes behind early leader Francesco Laporta.

McIlroy had originally signed for a 4-under 68, which would have given him a three-shot advantage over Chacarra.

But that score did not stand.

After reviewing television footage in the scoring area following his round, officials assessed McIlroy a two-shot penalty under Rule 8.1b(4) for improving the conditions of his stroke.

The incident occurred at the par-four 12th hole.

McIlroy’s initial chip from short of the green rolled back down a slope and into a divot.

As he addressed the ball for his fourth shot, close-up TV replays showed his wedge pressing some grass down behind the ball.

The rules committee determined that this constituted improving his lie.

The penalty converted his double-bogey 6 into a quadruple-bogey 8, changing his overall score from 68 to 70.

McIlroy accepted the ruling while insisting there was no intent.

“Obviously there’s no intent — I play by the rules,” McIlroy said.

“I try to do everything that I can to never end up in these positions.”

Chacarra, who played alongside McIlroy and Patrick Reed in the marquee group, defended his fellow competitor.

“I don’t think he improves his lie,” Chacarra said.

“Obviously, the referee and him thought different.”

“In the video, it doesn’t look great, but we’ve been watching Rory for a long time — he’s a class man and never tries to improve his lies or do anything.”

“Obviously with this grass in the middle, it’s a fluffy grass, so as soon as you put the weight of the club, the grass is going to come down. How is he supposed to hit that shot? I just need to learn. I think it’s 50/50.”

Chacarra added that he told McIlroy he was willing to fight the penalty on his behalf.

“I told him I was happy to fight for it, because I didn't think he improved it,” Chacarra said.

“But obviously, the media and everything, he thought it didn't look very good. To be fair, in the video, it doesn't look great, but I don't think he improved it at all.”

Patrick Reed, the third contender in the Race to Dubai battle, had the worst day of the three.

Reed’s card included a birdie, a bogey and a double-bogey on the last for a 74, leaving him tied for 56th.

Chacarra’s 70, despite the equipment disaster, meant he lost no ground to either McIlroy or Reed in the season-long standings.

He is trying to become just the third Spaniard to win the Harry Vardon Trophy, joining Seve Ballesteros and Jon Rahm.

The Race to Dubai title carries a $2 million bonus for the winner, plus the prestige of being European No. 1.

McIlroy is chasing a record-equalling eighth Race to Dubai crown, which would tie him with Ballesteros’s tally of Order of Merit titles.

Reed, the 2018 Masters champion, is seeking his first Harry Vardon Trophy.

The Abu Dhabi Aldar Championship is the penultimate event of the DP World Tour season.

Next week’s DP World Tour Championship in Dubai will determine the final Race to Dubai champion.

Chacarra now faces the challenge of finding a reliable driver for the remainder of the tournament and potentially the season finale.