Que Eugenio López Chacarra had caught the attention of the Ryder Cup Europe working group some time ago is absolutely irrefutable. His past victory in LIV Golf stands as evidence. However, it can now be said that he has officially entered the radar of Luke Donald and his assistants. This is primarily due to his recent performances on the DP World Tour. Obviously, his triumph at the Hero Indian Open, along with his strong showing in Kenya, Volvo China Open, and Hainan Classic have sparked more than just subtle interest. Beyond the missed cut last Friday at the PGA Championship at Quail Hollow, his worst result in 2025 has been a twentieth place at the Magical Kenya Open, strong arguments to put his name on the table.
We say that it is now that he has formally entered the Ryder Cup radar due to the pairing he has been given for the first two rounds of the Soudal Open, a DP World Tour tournament taking place from this Thursday at the Rinkven International Golf Club in Antwerp. Chacarra will play alongside Martin Couvra, another young talent who has caught the attention of Luke Donald, and Francesco Molinari, one of the captain’s lieutenants. This is not a casual tee time, far from it. A message is being sent. We are watching you and you have chances to be at Bethpage. Now it’s up to you.
It should be remembered that Couvra, at just 22 years old, won the last regular tournament of the DP World Tour, the Turkish Airlines Open held in Antalya. The next step has been to play these two rounds with the younger Molinari, one of the strong men of the Ryder Cup Europe working team. It will be Francesco’s first DP World Tour tournament in 2025.
With Chacarra’s ‘official’ entry into the Ryder Cup radar, several young Spaniards are now being closely monitored by Luke Donald, Edoardo Molinari, and the rest of the team. This group includes David Puig, who is well-liked in the blue locker room, Ángel Ayora, Ángel Hidalgo, and Alex del Rey. All of them, sooner or later, have already played on some occasion with one of the team’s heavyweights. Not long ago, Ayora shared the first two rounds of the Turkey tournament with Luke Donald.
Obviously, all this work is done with the next edition at Bethpage in mind, but the future is also being designed. It is not necessarily that they are considering the inclusion of Couvra or Chacarra for the next Ryder, but rather these are names entering a list of future prospects to be closely monitored.
The pairing with Molinari is undoubtedly an extra incentive for the Madrid golfer, a good way to shake off the bitter taste left by his performance at the PGA Championship.
