There is no doubting Eugenio Chacarra’s rare talent after his historic victory on The International Series in Scotland earlier this year, and the rising star of LIV Golf is hoping to further raise awareness of Spanish golfing skills around the world at the Volvo China Open this week.
He has started off in the right fashion, posting a five-under-par round of 67 to sit in the chasing group one off the leader Ben Leong of Malaysia who posted a blemish-free round of 66.
Chacarra originally burst onto the global scene in October 2022 with a first ever professional tournament win at the LIV Golf Invitational Bangkok, in just his fourth start. And he is hoping that China will take further notice of his talents at the Hidden Grace Golf Club in Shenzhen this week.
Chacarra stated: “I had a great month winning in St Andrews, it was huge for me. I got some momentum going in St Andrews, in such an iconic place. That was a lot of fun. I played amazing, but it was a hard one.
“Playing against Matt Jones in the play-off, he was a tough opponent, but it was a fun one to win. But now I want to focus on China, my game is now here. I’ve been playing great and I’m just happy to be here, and hopefully I can play well this week and give Chinese people a taste of what Spanish guys can do.”
The Spaniard is eager to continue competing globally on The International Series, the set of 10 elevated events on the Asian Tour, in a schedule that complements his LIV Golf League activity.
And he encouraged his Asian Tour peers to seize the chance to compete for a place in the LIV Golf League next season, via the recently announced LIV Golf Promotions event in Abu Dhabi this December. That innovative qualifying event will guarantee the top three a spot on the lucrative LIV Golf roster alongside The International Series Order of Merit winner.
“I’m lucky enough I got another year at LIV so that way I’m a little more safe,” he said. “But it’s an amazing opportunity for guys to try and get into the best tour in the world. It’s just a fun way to get there.
“It’s not an easy path because you need to be number one, but it’s something that’s up there and anyone is capable of doing it. It’s fun.
“I think the Asian Tour is great, it’s getting bigger and bigger, and I’ve been loving being a member of the Tour now and I’m going to play as much as I can.”
The Volvo China Open field includes 2010 US Open champion Graeme McDowell, Asian Games gold medallist Taichi Kho and International Series Order of Merit leader Andy Ogletree, alongside a host of local talent and the cream of the crop on the Asian Tour.
This week’s event in Shenzhen is the eighth stop on the 2023 International Series season with two more tournaments still to play in consecutive weeks; the Hong Kong Open and the Indonesian Masters.