Andy DevaneyTwenty-five holes on a Sunday is demanding enough without a recently fractured toe and the small matter of a Race to Dubai lead at stake. Eugenio Chacarra had all three to contend with at the DP World India Championship, and still found a way to win.
The Spaniard closed with a 70 at Delhi Golf Club to finish 21 under par, two strokes ahead of Daniel Hillier. It was his third DP World Tour title of 2026, his fourth overall and, perhaps most significantly, the result that took him past Patrick Reed to the top of the Race to Dubai standings.
The European Team Rankings for the 2027 Ryder Cup have a new leader too.
A five-shot cushion, with 18 more holes to survive
The tournament’s weather interruptions had left Chacarra with unfinished business on Sunday morning. He completed his third round in 63 to establish a five-stroke advantage, then went straight back out to defend it. His total workload for the day was 25 holes.
If the field needed encouragement, the opening stages of the final round offered precious little. Chacarra birdied the first and holed a putt from 17 feet at the third, stretching his lead to six.
The comfort did not last. His par putt at the sixth lipped all the way around the cup and stayed out, producing his first bogey of the day. Playing partner Angel Hidalgo was still close enough to make the round feel increasingly like a head-to-head, and the decisions around the turn were suddenly more delicate than the scoreboard had suggested.
Chacarra saved par at the ninth, then did it again at the tenth with a putt from 20 feet. Hidalgo had a birdie opportunity at the latter but could not take it. Chacarra remained four clear on 20 under, and at the 11th he rolled in another 17-footer for birdie.
He was scoring, but the more revealing part of the performance was what happened when the putts were for par rather than birdie.
Hillier finds another gear
Daniel Hillier supplied the danger from elsewhere on the course. The New Zealander’s back-nine charge turned a lead that had been six shots into one of just two. Chacarra was three ahead with four holes left after narrowly missing a birdie putt at the 14th.
Then Hillier birdied the 18th to sign for 19 under. There was no longer much room for error.
Chacarra found trouble from the tee at the 16th, precisely the sort of moment at which a long day can become longer. His recovery and par save proved decisive. Pars at the final two holes secured the two-shot margin and prevented Hillier’s finish from becoming something rather more uncomfortable.
Chacarra was candid about the difficulty of protecting a sizeable advantage:
“It’s hard to go in a big lead. You don’t really want to push but you want to, with guys making birdies. So it was something that I knew hadn’t happened to me before and it was a new experience. But really proud of my short game and how I grinded and stayed patient.”
Three titles, two rankings and one selection ambition
It has been a productive run for a player whose chances of topping the Race to Dubai appeared less certain after his recent toe fracture. Chacarra had already won the KLM Open and the DS Automobiles 83° Open d’Italia in June. His first DP World Tour title came at the 2025 Hero Indian Open at nearby DLF Golf and Country Club; Delhi has now delivered another.
But his ambitions extend beyond the season-long race. Leading Europe’s 2027 Ryder Cup rankings gives a measurable shape to his aim of qualifying outright, rather than relying on a captain’s pick.
“I told Luke (Donald) back in the day I want to be on that team not just a pick. I want to be one of the six spots.”
Chacarra also knows that the Race to Dubai will not be settled by one October win. He expects serious opposition from Reed and Rory McIlroy as the season-long contest continues.
More than one career moved forward in Delhi
Poland’s Adrian Meronk and Hidalgo shared third at 15 under. Defending champion Tommy Fleetwood finished tied fifth on 13 under.
The co-sanctioned event also settled the DP World Professional Golf Tour of India Order of Merit. Saptak Talwar claimed the season-long honours and with them a DP World Tour card for 2027, building on his experience on the HotelPlanner Tour.
Talwar said: It’s been a consistent year, and I’ve grown a lot as a golfer. Much of that has come from moving between the DP World PGTI and the HotelPlanner Tour.
This is my fourth year on PGTI, and travelling across the country has taught me a lot—about myself and from other players. I’ve already started putting those lessons into practice and will continue doing so.
I’ve enjoyed my two years playing in Europe, including the difficult weather. Tougher conditions tend to keep me more present. If it’s calm and 25 degrees, my mind can wander a little more.
I’m looking forward to the challenge. I’ve spoken at length with Veer, Shubhankar and other players about their experiences and the things I might face.
For Chacarra, the Delhi result changes the immediate question. He has shown he can build a large lead; this time he had to protect one when it began to disappear. Both skills will be useful with the Race to Dubai still to be decided.
