Eugenio Chacarra believes he’s better prepared now to take on Rory McIlroy for the Race to Dubai this week after playing alongside his idol in Abu Dhabi.
The Spaniard leads the battle for the Harry Vardon Trophy by 533 points from seven-time winner McIlroy ahead of their pairing together in the DP World Tour Championship in Dubai.
He knows he can follow in the footsteps of Seve Ballesteros and Jon Rahm if he wins at Jumeirah Golf Estates this week.
He can even finish last and still be crowned European number one as long as McIlroy finishes in a two-way tie for fourth or worse, Patrick Reed finishes in a two-way tie for third or worse, and neither Casey Jarvis, Aaron Rai, Rahm, Jayden Schaper, nor New Zealanders Ryan Fox and Daniel Hillier manage to win.
"We know how good Rory McIlroy is, and he's one of my idols,” said Chacarra, who matched McIlroy with a two-under 70 when they were paired together in the first round in Abu Dhabi last week.
“But I already beat him in India. So I need to remind myself that I can compete with him and I can beat him, as I did already a couple of weeks ago."
McIlroy was penalised two strokes for improving his lie in that first round at Yas Links, but he still went on to beat the Spaniard by eight strokes en route to a third-place finish.
"I made a lot of mistakes that I probably shouldn't have done, but it was the first time playing with him,” said Chacarra, who has won three times this year.
“It helped playing last week; it really helped me to see what I can do and what I shouldn't do."
The Madrid native is already guaranteed one of 10 promotions to the PGA Tour, but he’s dreaming of becoming just the third Spaniard to top the rankings.
“It would mean the world to put my name where Seve's and Jon is, two of the best players of all time, will be really special,” he said.
McIlroy has won the DP World Tour Championship three times and it will be fascinating to see if Abu Dhabi winner Rahm can deny him a record-equalling eighth Race to Dubai title by winning back-to-back events.
Rahm can win the Race to Dubai for the second time if he wins the tournament for the fourth time and Chacarra finishes ninth or worse, and McIlroy and Reed are third or worse.
“It would mean a great deal,” Rahm said. “I think it would just be more of a step towards hopefully getting closer to what Seve was able to achieve, right.”
After winning in just his third start since leaving LIV Golf, the Basque golfer pushed back against the narrative that his failure to win a Major during his three years with LIV had anything to do with the Saudi-backed league.
“We've got to stop blaming LIV for me playing poorly at the majors,” said Rahm, who finished joint second behind Rai in the US PGA this season.
“I know what you are all trying to insinuate. It's not because of LIV. It's my own. Because I did have a chance to win the PGA the last two years we played it, right. It's my own doing and my own, let's say, golf swing problems.”
On the PGA Tour, Séamus Power has another chance to improve his status at the Austin Championship, where a win would earn him his card until the end of 2028.
Meanwhile, rookie Lauren Walsh needs a stellar week in the LPGA’s Annika at Pelican Golf Club to make the top 60 in the points standings who qualify for next week’s season-ending CME Group Tour Championship.
The Co Kildare golfer lies 87th in the rankings after a third-place finish in the ShopRite LPGA in May effectively secured her card.
Leona Maguire, who did not play in Japan last week but worked instead with coach Sean Foley, looks set to play the Tour Championship for the seventh successive season.
The Cavan woman has spent the year working on swing changes, and while she’s missed 13 cuts from 25 starts, her second-place finish in the Aramco Championship in Las Vegas in April was a major boost.
Meanwhile, 10th-ranked Beth Coulter has two events remaining on the LET Access Series to secure her LET card.
She returns to action in this week’s Santander Golf Tour - Girona at Empordà, gunning to edge closer to the top seven in the standings, who will be awarded LET cards.
If she succeeds, she’ll avoid joining Clare’s Aine Donegan at the Q-School in Morocco in December.
At 90th in the Order of Merit, Donegan is not in the field for the season-ending Andalucia Costa del Sol Open de España later this month.
The top 70 in the Order of Merit will retain their cards, and 61st-ranked Sara Byrne looks set to join 43rd-ranked Anna Foster in securing her playing rights for 2027.