Eugenio Chacarra is set to compete in a PGA Tour event this week before completing the year-long ban imposed on all golfers who have participated in LIV Golf. He will be playing in the Genesis Scottish Open, a tournament that, as you know, is co-sanctioned by the DP World Tour and the American circuit.
If you’re wondering why Chacarra can play in Scotland, here’s the explanation. It’s not too mysterious, although it is interesting because it has happened very few times. The fact that it is a co-sanctioned tournament means that 75 spots are allocated to the PGA Tour and another 75 to the DP World Tour. Each of the circuits manages these spots as they see fit and according to their categories. Since Eugenio has a winner’s category in Europe, after his victory in India, he is entitled to one of those 75 spots. The PGA Tour cannot interfere there. Invitations are a different matter. There, the PGA Tour does get involved and would not have allowed it. This year’s invitations are to Alex Noren, Brandt Snedeker, and Richie Ramsay.
It’s worth noting that this is not the first time it has happened, although it has been very rare so far. Specifically, it happened last year in this same tournament with Bernd Wiesberger and Laurie Canter. In both cases, it had not yet been a year since their last tournament in LIV (Weisberger played in October 2023 and Canter in February 2024) and yet they participated in Scotland. The explanation is the same as with Chacarra, they had a DP World Tour category and, therefore, were entitled to one of the 75 spots.
What happens if Chacarra wins in Scotland this week? Would he receive the PGA Tour card? The answer is yes, although he could not use it until a year has passed since the last tournament he played in LIV Golf. This was on 22 September 2024 at the LIV Golf Team Championship in Dallas. That is, until 23 September, he could not play in PGA Tour tournaments. From that day on, he would have no problem and would retain it for two years, as is usually the case.
In this regard, something similar happened to Laurie Canter himself this year. He earned the PGA Tour card last year through the Race to Dubai, however, he could not use it until the THE PLAYERS Championship in March, as his last tournament in LIV was in February 2024.
Let’s remember that Chacarra is also in the fight to secure one of the PGA Tour cards for next year through the Race to Dubai. If he achieves it through that route, he would have no problem playing from 2026, as his ban ends at the end of next September.
