Eugenio Chacarra claimed the DP World India Championship by two strokes to move to the top of the Race to Dubai standings, overtaking Patrick Reed and Rory McIlroy with three tournaments remaining in the season.
The Spaniard finished on 21 under par at Delhi Golf Club after a composed final round of 70 secured his third victory of the campaign. New Zealand’s Daniel Hillier applied late pressure with a birdie at the last, but Chacarra held on to complete a significant win.
Chacarra had opened with consecutive rounds of 67 before Saturday’s play was halted by fading light. He returned on Sunday to complete his third round with a nine-under-par 63, establishing a five-shot advantage that proved decisive.
The 26-year-old now has the opportunity to join Jon Rahm and Seve Ballesteros as the only Spaniards to finish a season top of the DP World Tour standings.
“Those two guys are heroes for me as a Spanish golfer,” Chacarra told Sky Sports. “Seve did everything for European and Spanish golf, and then Jon, it’s a guy that I’ve been looking up to since he went to college and professional golf.”
He added: “Hopefully I can put my name on that trophy too. That’s one of the goals.”
Reed, who had led the standings since March after victories in Qatar and Dubai, endured a difficult week in Delhi. His closing 69 left him on eight under and tied for 23rd, surrendering his advantage at a crucial stage of the season.
McIlroy fared worse, finishing four shots behind Reed after a two-over 74 in his final round. The Northern Irishman shared 42nd place, a disappointing return after beginning the tournament promisingly.
Tom McKibbin was the leading Northern Irish player, finishing on 12 under in a tie for ninth alongside Scotland’s Robert MacIntyre, Belgium’s Thomas Detry and the United Arab Emirates’ Adrian Otaegui.
With the season-ending title still to be decided next month, Chacarra has put himself firmly in contention to achieve one of his career ambitions.
