Andy DevaneyEugenio Chacarra won the DS Automobiles 83° Open d’Italia by five shots in Turin, delivering the sort of final-round performance that makes everyone else look as though they are playing the same course with garden tools.
The Spaniard arrived at Circolo Golf Torino on Sunday with a two-shot lead and the usual Sunday hazards: nerves, expectation, a chasing pack and Matt Wallace looking very much like a man with designs on spoiling the party. Chacarra responded with a 64, reached 24 under par and collected his third DP World Tour title with the calm efficiency of someone removing lint from a navy blazer.
It was his second victory of the season, following the KLM Open in the Netherlands earlier this month, and it moved him to third on the Race to Dubai Rankings Delivered by DP World. More immediately, it also earned him a place in next month’s 154th Open Championship at Royal Birkdale, which is not a bad Sunday bonus unless one’s idea of celebration is assembling flat-pack furniture.
Chacarra Starts Fast, Wallace Answers Loudly
Chacarra began exactly as a leader would wish, making birdie at the first and giving the impression that he had no intention of turning this into a public anxiety clinic.
Wallace, however, was not there for decoration. The Englishman chipped in for eagle almost immediately, halving the overnight deficit and injecting the final round with a proper pulse.
For a few holes, it had the look of a contest that might tighten into something uncomfortable. Chacarra, a former World Number Two amateur, did not so much flinch as blink. He picked up another shot at the fifth, then hit a wonderfully timed run around the turn, adding birdies at the eighth, ninth and tenth.
That was the moment the DS Automobiles 83° Open d’Italia began to tilt decisively towards the Spaniard. Not dramatically, not hysterically, but with the steady inevitability of a well-struck iron finding the centre of the green.
The Eagle That Ended The Argument
The signature blow came at the 15th, where Chacarra rolled in a 35-foot eagle putt to open a three-shot cushion over Wallace.
Some putts are merely useful. This one felt like a closing statement.
From there, Chacarra did exactly what champions do when everyone else is hoping for a wobble. He gave them nothing. He played the remaining holes in par, having dropped only three shots all week, and allowed the rest of the field to wrestle with the mathematics.
Wallace, who had been superb for long spells, closed with consecutive bogeys to finish second at 19 under par. There was consolation of a handsome kind: his 62 on Friday earned him the $40,000 Nexo Course Record prize. Having gone one better than Edoardo Molinari’s 63 the previous day, Wallace said he intended to donate some of the prize money to Circolo Golf Torino, Molinari’s home course.
A fine gesture, and one suspects warmly received. Golf can be a cruel business, but occasionally it remembers its manners.
Niemann Third As Lagergren Charges Late
Behind the leading pair, Chile’s Joaquín Niemann signed for a 68 to finish one shot further back. Sweden’s Joakim Lagergren made the loudest Sunday move outside the winner’s circle, firing a final-round 63 to surge into fourth.
Spain’s Ángel Ayora reached 16 under to take outright fifth and also claimed the Franco Chimenti Memorial Award. The award recognises the highest finisher born in 2001 or later, who is yet to win and is not ranked in the top 15 of the Order of Merit on any of the major Tours.
Dane Jeff Winther, Scotland’s Richie Ramsay, Finland’s Oliver Lindell and Portugal’s Daniel Rodrigues shared sixth at 15 under, while Germany’s Nicolai von Dellinghausen rounded out the top ten.
Chacarra’s Race To Dubai Charge Gathers Pace
This was more than another trophy for Chacarra. It was confirmation of a player gathering form, confidence and competitive authority at considerable speed.
His victory at the DS Automobiles 83° Open d’Italia followed quickly after his KLM Open win, and the numbers now give his season a much sharper edge. Third on the Race to Dubai Rankings Delivered by DP World is not an honorary parking space. It is a statement of intent.
There was composure here, but also ambition. Chacarra did not sound like a player surprised to find himself in the conversation. He sounded like one who believes he belongs there, and is now beginning to gather the evidence.
Eugenio Chacarra: I’m feeling great. Obviously winning’s always fun, but that’s what we work for, you know? I’ve been doing incredible work these last couple of years, and yeah, very proud of myself. I think it was a good fight.
I mean, two world-class players, probably two of the best players in the world too. That’s what I was dreaming since I was little, to play against those kind of players down the stretch, and very proud of how I played and how I managed myself today.
All week – I mean, just not this round, I think it’s been 20 rounds in a row under par, you know, I’ve been playing solid golf. I’m doing an incredible job with my caddie and staying patient and enjoying golf and like I said, I proved myself already.
When I was an amateur, I was one of the best, in America (in college), I was one of the best, and I want to be one of the best players in professional golf so that’s what we’re working for.
I mean, there’s things I can do better. I mean, 12, 13, 14, I feel like kind of like left the door open a little too much. But that’s the beauty of this game, you know? You can always get better and that’s why I play it, that’s why I love it. But for sure it was one great round of golf.
I’m so excited (to qualify for The Open). I’ve never played it there, I dream of playing it always. I watch every (Open Championship) on TV since I was little, so I’m excited to be out there. Now it’s time to celebrate and then we can focus on that.
Royal Birkdale Awaits
The Open Championship place adds another layer to Chacarra’s summer. Royal Birkdale has a habit of exposing pretenders and sharpening reputations, and Chacarra will arrive there with the confidence of a man who has just taken apart a DP World Tour field in Italy.
There were bigger names in Turin, and there were dangerous chasers. Wallace brought heat. Niemann stayed close enough to matter. Lagergren charged hard. But Chacarra had the answer every time the question changed.
That is usually the mark of something more durable than form. It is the look of a player learning how to win properly — not by surviving Sundays, but by owning them.
In Turin, Eugenio Chacarra did not merely lift the trophy. He walked the final round as though the course owed him money, collected the lot, and left for Royal Birkdale with a rather useful receipt.
