Nothing was going to stop Eugenio Chacarra from competing in his national open, in his hometown.
Not even a fractured toe.
Chacarra, the 26-year-old who has already notched two victories this season, is off to a flying start at the Spanish Open, carding a pair of eagles during a 5-under 66 to pace the early starters at Real Club de Campo Villa de Madrid.
It was just a more painful walk than he wanted, and now the rest of his tournament is in jeopardy.
Chacarra revealed earlier this week that he’s playing with a fractured middle toe and a slight tear in another. The incident happened last week, after returning home from the French Open, when he stubbed his toe on his luggage while getting up in the middle of the night.
“It’s not good,” he said Thursday. “Suffering a lot. It’s been tough. Not sure what is going to happen tomorrow. I need to take care of myself. Obviously I got a good round, but how I feel physically is not great.”
Chacarra, who is from Madrid, said he has memories of attending this tournament as a 6-year-old. He has plenty of support this week from friends and family.
That only makes his upcoming decision even harder.
“It doesn’t hurt when I’m swinging, so I can still make a score, but it’s been really tough to walk,” he said. “The pain I had on the last 12 holes, I don’t know if it’s worth it as I have a lot to play for the next couple of weeks.”
After back-to-back wins earlier this season, Chacarra could move to the top of the Race to Dubai standings with another victory this week. He is currently No. 3 in the season-long race, assured of a 2027 PGA Tour card.
Chacarra is also currently ranked 55th in the world rankings. The top 50 at the end of the year receive invitations to next year’s Masters.
“I’ve got 24 hours to rest and see how it feels in the morning,” he said.
