Staff WriterEugenio Chacarra, the Spaniard with a flair for turning pressure into opportunity, now holds a one-shot lead heading into the final round of the Hero Indian Open.
On a day when DLF Golf and Country Club proved as challenging as a riddle from a mischievous caddie, Chacarra’s one over par 73 carved a path to the summit of the leaderboard.
Entering the third round at four under par alongside defending champion Keita Nakajima, Chacarra’s early promise was slightly dimmed by two bogeys on the front nine, nudging him two shots off the pace at the turn.
However, the drama was far from over. When Nakajima’s impressive run of “14 successive pars” finally slipped away with a bogey on the 15th hole, Chacarra didn’t miss a beat—snatching a birdie at the very same hole to share the lead.
A further misstep by the Japanese, who dropped another shot on the 17th, allowed Chacarra to reclaim the top spot.
In a display of youthful guts and calculated risk, the 25-year-old aimed for the par five 18th hole in two.
Eugenio Chacarra: I knew when I was teeing off how the conditions were going. It was windy. It was probably the windiest day we had out there. I knew I needed a lot of patience today. I think I played great and my ball striking was incredible, like it’s been all week so that was nice.
I think I dropped shots on the front that I could have not, I was just a little too aggressive. I guess I’ve not been in competition too much this year. I feel like I tried too hard – like that eagle putt on eight from 20 feet. I need to learn from those mistakes tomorrow but I’m very pleased with this score.
This course, we know what it is and it’s just one bad swing of a big number. I’m pleased with myself, but now I just need time to reset, talk to my team and see what can we do better for tomorrow. I definitely need some work on my putting. The first two days I felt really good with my reading but I think today was a little short and a little quick with my stroke today.
I was little nervous at the start, but then I’m just grateful to play golf for a living. It’s not a thing that a lot of people can do, so I just try to have a lot of fun. When I struggled playing golf over the past couple of years, I wasn’t in a good environment with myself and I wasn’t enjoying what I was doing. I changed that this year and it’s been great. I have a lot of fun out there. I can shoot one over or seven under and my goal is to just enjoy and do my best in every shot, that’s all I can do.
Despite drawing a tough lie in the rough that forced him to settle for a closing par, he finished three under par—one stroke clear of Nakajima and South African Brandon Stone, who now share second on two under par.
Stone, not one to be left in the dust, capped his round with a birdie on the final hole, signing for a one under 71—”the joint-lowest round of the day”—while Nakajima’s round was marred by two bogeys and a lack of birdies in his 74.
Further down the leaderboard, Sweden’s Jens Dantorp and England’s Matthew Jordan found themselves sharing fourth position at one under par, while American Troy Merritt, Dutchman Joost Luiten, Frenchman Adrien Saddier, and Norwegian Andreas Halvorsen trailed just a shot behind in sixth.
In a tournament where every stroke tells a story, Eugenio Chacarra’s resilient play not only optimizes his standing in the eyes of golf fans but also promises an electrifying finish at the Hero Indian Open.
