Eugenio López Chacarra (-3) has taken the lead at the Hero Indian Open after a gruelling third round at the DLF Golf and Country Club. The Madrid golfer carded a 73, with two bogeys at the start and a lone birdie, and leads the DP World Tour tournament by one stroke over Keita Nakajima (-2) and Brandon Stone (-2). In fourth place are Jens Dantorp (-1) and Matthew Jordan (-1). That concludes the exclusive list of players who can boast of being under par after 54 holes.
The playing conditions have been very tough again, with an added twist. The greens are getting firmer and the wind has generously swept across the course in the Gurugram district, in New Delhi. As it stands, only three golfers are under par on the moving day. The standout performers were Brandon Stone, Troy Merritt, and Casey Jarvis. All three shot one under par (71 strokes). Like a US Open, but from the old school, like those at Shinnecock Hills.
In this extremely challenging setting, Chacarra has certainly thrived. His performance from the tee has been masterful, showing great consistency with the irons, and he only lacked more brilliance on the greens to dominate with an even greater lead. Only Stone and Dantorp, with some exceptions at certain moments, have matched the Spaniard’s long game. Eugenio’s display with the driver has been an exhibition.
And yet the round didn’t start easily. He bogeyed the 1st hole and added another on the 7th. On both occasions, he missed two short putts. He also squandered four fairly clear birdie chances, not to mention the three-putt on the 4th hole, par 5, after reaching the green in two. The most difficult thing today was precisely leaving birdie chances, having opportunities of four or five metres downhill. In this area, the best were Chacarra and Stone. Precisely, when he made his only birdie putt on the 15th hole, after another great shot, he raised his arms in the air as if to say hallelujah.
Thus, with very solid, consistent, and aggressive golf, the golfer sporting the colours of Oklahoma State on his polo has created the opportunity he so needed. Let’s remember that after his departure from the Fireballs and LIV Golf, where he failed to convince any team, he was left with only the playing rights of the Asian Tour. This week he is playing with an invitation, the second he has received on the DP World Tour in 2025 after the one in Kenya.
A victory this Sunday would completely change his horizon. He would become a member of the European Tour for the next two years, position himself well in the Race to Dubai ranking, and open a door to qualify for the PGA Championship through the Asian Swing. Needless to say, Chacarra has a lot at stake this Sunday in those last 18 holes in India. Undoubtedly, his ability to handle this pressure and deal with it will be a crucial element to successfully seize this victory opportunity.
The course will remain tough, and wind is also expected tomorrow. If these forecasts hold, even a par round could be enough to win, as long as there isn’t a standout performance from those higher up in the standings. Really, the main favourites right now, besides Eugenio, are Nakajima, who had a bad day from the tee today that prevented him from leaving birdie chances (he didn’t make any), and Stone, the Spaniard’s partner in the star match, a player who also has a lot of quality from tee to green, although he struggles with the putter, similar to Chacarra.
As for the other Spaniards, Pablo Larrazábal (+3) has managed to shine on moving day. He delivered an excellent par card and climbed up the leaderboard to eleventh place. He made four birdies and four bogeys. He has a par total in his last two rounds, something only Saddier, Nakajima, and Chacarra have bettered. Although he seems far off, six strokes from the lead, so much upheaval occurs on this course that he shouldn’t be ruled out from getting into the fight at some point.
Additionally, Jorge Campillo (+6) and Ángel Ayora (+6) are in the top 25 after a good day for the Extremaduran and a tough day for the Malagueño, and Ángel Hidalgo (+8) has also moved up with a 74-card. Any par or one under par round tomorrow could even bring them closer to the top 10.
