– Eugenio Chacarra (-1) was still bewildered looking at his scorecard just after finishing his third round at the Dubai Invitational. He couldn’t believe the result. 68 strokes. Half an hour before going out to play, he was seriously considering withdrawing from the tournament because he could barely make the swing movement without seeing stars.
It all started in Korea about three months ago. It was the first time he felt back pain after a bad move. He has been treating it and worked hard this winter in the gym. It seemed to be quite forgotten, but yesterday on the 2nd hole it hit him again. He endured while the area was warm, but this morning he could barely move.
He has been treated by the physios and went out to play to test himself. It was very difficult for him to hit the ball because he couldn’t finish the swing. He pushed forward as best he could. With more grit than physical strength. His scorecard of 68 strokes is almost a feat. “The round has a lot of merit because I wasn’t well. It was a miracle. I didn’t know if I was going to be able to play. I couldn’t finish almost any swing. On the 18th I hit a short hook for that reason, on the 15th badly, on the 13th with a 4-iron I almost didn’t reach the water… I hit very bad shots because physically I wasn’t up to it, but we fought, we managed to finish, which wasn’t clear, and let’s see if I can finish the tournament,” he explains.
The tee shot on the 14th hole was one of the few respites his body gave him. There he was able to finish the swing and almost made a hole-in-one. It seems that Chacarra’s day this Saturday in Dubai was about miracles. As soon as he finished playing, he went back to get treated with the aim of competing this Sunday with the best possible tools. The reality is that his game is very good, he looks much better physically, and he is convinced that if nothing strange happens, he will be at the top sooner rather than later fighting for the tournaments. Today’s performance was certainly a good job, taking advantage of his debut with the Capote clothing brand.
– The victory in the ProAm went to Geoff Yang. He is the chairman of the rules committee at Augusta National. Many voices claim he will be the next chairman of Augusta after Fred Riley. This week, he certainly gave a putting exhibition on the greens. Of course, if he’s used to playing at Augusta, it’s no wonder he putts well…
– Ángel Hidalgo has lifted a weight off his shoulders today. Well, a weight and a bit of rust. He had a good preseason and was eager to start the year well, but nothing went right for him the first two days in Dubai. This Saturday he delivered a scorecard of 67 strokes, the eighth best of the day. He regained positions, but above all, his feelings improved. The same goes for Alex del Rey, who played under par, although a bogey on the last hole left him with a very bad taste in his mouth.
– Ángel Ayora (PAR) finished somewhat frustrated with the putter. The man from Málaga is not one for exaggerations, but he admitted he went a little crazy. It can’t be said he putted badly. He had up to four lip-outs that leave you breathless during the round and finished with a three-putt on the 18th. When a putt lips out, it’s usually not a poorly struck putt. That’s the idea the golfer from Manilva should hold onto, as he went straight to the putting green to regain the best feelings. By the way, there he met Alex del Rey and Pablo Larrazábal. Ayora is out of contention for victory, but he knows there’s still room to do something important and is willing to give it his all this Sunday.
– Rory McIlroy is ready to put up a fight this Sunday at Dubai Creek. He is playing with new clubs and balls. The change of clubs is radical, as he has gone from playing with blades, the classic professional blades, to cavity irons, more forgiving clubs used by 95 percent of the amateur world. It doesn’t fit in McIlroy’s case. The Northern Irishman explains it clearly. “Yes, people will be surprised because I won the Grand Slam last year, but really the stats were worse than in 2024 or 2023. I was going downhill and asked TaylorMade to set them up for me. If there’s help, I’m willing to take it. I’m quite a veteran to think about ego,” he said with a laugh. Speaking of being a veteran, McIlroy is surprised that 20 years have passed since his first victory in Dubai. “Many really put me in the generation of Brooks, Justin Thomas, or Jordan Spieth, but I actually belong more to Sergio, Adam Scott, or Justin Rose’s generation. I have no problem being a veteran. The goal is not to get complacent, bored, or frustrated. You’re playing tournaments, but in the end, at the point I’m at in my career, 20 years later, only a handful of weeks matter. But you have to play more than that to make sure that, in those few weeks that do matter, you’re in the best possible shape to perform.”
