Eugenio Chacarra insists he is taking it one week at a time as he looks to take a big step closer to winning the Race to Dubai at the Abu Dhabi Aldar Championship.
Related: Chacarra eyes European No 1 crown at DP World Tour Championship
Chacarra currently leads the way at the top of the Race to Dubai Rankings Delivered by DP World, having replaced long-time leader Patrick Reed following his third win of the season at the DP World India Championship.
But with enhanced points available across both DP World Tour Play-Offs – with next week’s season finale at the DP World Tour Championship to come – even a win at the Rolex Series event at Yas Links may not guarantee him the title, and he could still be overtaken by Reed, Rory McIlroy or Casey Jarvis.
View this post on Instagram
With all that in mind, the Spaniard can be forgiven for not getting ahead of himself as he strives to become just the third of his countrymen to lift the Harry Vardon Trophy after Seve Ballesteros and Jon Rahm.
Chacarra will have a good look at his two nearest rivals in round one as he plays alongside Reed and McIlroy in the final group of the day on Thursday.
Reed has two wins this season to McIlroy’s one, although McIlroy’s came at the Masters, a Major which Reed himself won in 2018.
That puts Chacarra in rarified air on the first tee but the confident 26-year-old says he will not be overawed, although he will enjoy watching his “idol” McIlroy.
View this post on Instagram
One of the men Chacarra is aiming to emulate by topping the season-long Rankings is stepping into unfamiliar territory this week, with two-time Major winner Rahm making his Abu Dhabi Aldar Championship debut.
He may be “rusty” after the recent birth of his fourth child but the former World Number One is determined to move up from his current position of 51st place in the Rankings as the top 70 players are whittled down to 50 in the final week of the season.
View this post on Instagram
After enjoying the chance to just be a dad over the past few weeks, Rahm – who has a joint-record five Rolex Series wins to his name – is focusing on getting back to work and mastering the “fantastic” Yas Links layout.
Player Quotes
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.
This week knowing that if I win the tournament, I’m going to have a better chance of winning it (the Race to Dubai). 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.
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.
