ABU DHABI ALDAR GOLF CHAMPIONSHIP

November 3, 2026

Eugenio Chacarra

Yas Links

Press Conference

CLARE BODEL: Welcome here to Abu Dhabi. You've arrived at the Play-Offs in a fantastic position, being at the top of the rankings after three wins and some incredible performances this season. Just wondering how you're feeling and coming into these final two events, the Play-Offs?

EUGENIO CHACARRA: Yeah, I'm in a good position, and feeling good. Good week at home and practise and get my body ready for the heat and my game ready for these two big events, two amazing opportunities, and yeah, I'm excited.

CLARE BODEL: You just played a practise round. What do you make of the course? How are things looking out there?

EUGENIO CHACARRA: Yeah, I just saw the front nine, and like last year, the course is in spectacular conditions. It's probably the best conditions we've played all year. It's a fantastic course, and the greens are fast. It depends on how much the wind is going to blow, but obviously we see there's not been a lot of wind, at least today. It's going to be probably a lot of birdies. On the greens, it rolls fantastic, so you can make a lot of putts.

Yeah, I feel good. My game is ready and I'm ready to go compete.

Q. You're out with Rory and Patrick on Thursday. Does that add to the pressure, or is it a good thing for you?

EUGENIO CHACARRA: I'm excited. I dream of playing with the best players in the world, and I get a chance to play with Rory, first time playing with Rory. I've been watching him play since I was little. He's one of my idols. So super excited for the opportunity.

I had a chance to play with two of the great players in India, in Justin Rose and Min Woo Lee the first couple rounds, and I enjoyed every minute of it.

So I'm excited to have the pressure on to go out there and show that I can compete with them like I've been doing all year. Just have some fun. They are both major champions. Obviously Rory has won the Grand Slam. So everything I can learn from him -- it's a round I'm going to be looking and I'm going to play my game, and I know if I play my game, I can compete against them and I'm excited for that opportunity.

Q. Is there a danger in that situation, you can almost start playing match play with somebody else, because they are more experienced in that position? Is there a danger of it becoming match play?

EUGENIO CHACARRA: No, golf is four rounds. It's just the first round of going. So I'm just going to go enjoy, play my best. And it's not a sprint, it's a marathon.

Obviously there is a lot of points this week, a lot of points next week. Just be patient, play my game, and I know if I do that, I'll have a good chance on Sunday in Dubai.

Q. What was your favourite win this year? You've had three very special wins. Is there one in particular that stands out?

EUGENIO CHACARRA: I mean, winning, they are all fun. I'll probably say KLM; I knew if I win one, I could win a couple more. I would say that one was the most special, the way I win it. It was 18 holes, a lot of wind, a lot of things going that I couldn't control to. And to hit those two shots under pressure, to hit a putt and to the flag, almost 20 inches, it was really nice to see.

But winning, it's always nice. Winning in India with the field that it was also proved a lot and it gave me the chance to win The Race to Dubai. Every week has something special, but I feel like the way I opened my season and let me do my primary goal which was to let me get my PGA Tour card.

Q. Do you feel comfortable closing tournaments? And how much confidence does that give you that you can head into the majors next year? You haven't played in the Masters yet, but that must give you confidence the way you've been able to close out this year heading into next year?

EUGENIO CHACARRA: Yeah, for sure. I know I've always been a winner. I proved that in college and I proved that in amateur golf, and obviously I proved it as a professional. I love having a chance on Sunday. That's why I practise and what I dream of.

Normally I play pretty good on Sunday, but I also showed the world that I can play bad and feel bad and still won. Really proud of it. I want to keep winning. I love winning. And that's why we work sever single day, to give me chances to keep winning tournaments.

Q. You spoke to Luke Donald when you were in India. How much of an incentive is it for you to make his team next year, and how confident are you that you're going to be able to do that?

EUGENIO CHACARRA: It's a dream since I was little to represent Europe in the Ryder Cup. It's probably the most special tournament in the world for a golfer and for Europeans. I'm excited for the opportunity.

There's still a lot to prove, a lot to play, but I'm going to have a chance. I'm going to play in the United States next year. I'm going to be on the PGA Tour where there is all the best players in the world and a lot of the best European players in the world, too.

So hopefully I can continue to play good and I will make that team. I told my team and I told Luke, I want to get one of those six automatic picks, so I don't need to depend off a captain pick. That's my primary goal. It's not going to be easy.

Obviously there's tremendous depth and players in Europe. I'm going to work as hard as I can to hopefully accomplish that goal.

Q. How much have you enjoyed this Race to Dubai No. 1?

EUGENIO CHACARRA: Yeah, to be fair, I'm not really focussed on The Race to Dubai No. 1. I'm focussed on playing my best, getting better and winning tournaments.

Like this week, knowing that if I win the tournament, I'm going to have a better chance of winning it. So that's my only goal. Prepare for the course, the week, to have a chance to win on Sunday; treat it as another tournament. Obviously it's a Play-Off and there's going to be better scores and people pressing, but if I can play the way I've been playing all year, I like my chances on Sunday.

Q. I asked you about pressure earlier. The fact that you played that well this year, and you can afford not to have a great week and still go in with a great chance next week, is that a testament to how consistent you've been?

EUGENIO CHACARRA: Yeah, but it's not in my mind to not have a good week. Every time I tee off, I want to win. That's my goal. I love playing. I love competing. So that's what I'm trying to do this week. I'm trying to go and have a chance on Sunday on last nine holes to win the tournament.

The Race to Dubai, the rankings, things that I can't control, there's tremendous players behind me that want it as bad as me, so I can't control how they are going to play. What I can control is my game, my preparation and myself, and that's what I'm going to do to hopefully have a chance on Sunday.