‘Nothing changes; there’s only money’: Cut from LIV, former winner shares frustration

Former LIV Golf winner Eugenio Chacarra turns the page.

The 24-year-old Chacarra, whose contract with Fireballs GC was not renewed for this season, opted not to compete at last month’s LIV Promotions event, said Flushing It Golf recently that he was frustrated with LIV’s inability to secure world ranking points or a path to major championships, and that his new goal was to earn his PGA Tour card.

“When I joined LIV, they promised OWGR (points) and directions,” Chacarra said. “But that didn’t happen. I trusted them.”

A firebrand from Madrid, Chacarra signed with LIV as the world number two amateur in June 2022, sitting out a fifth season at Oklahoma State, and won his fifth start with the Saudi Arabian-backed circuit in Bangkok. While he failed to crack the top 30 individual points in each of the last two seasons at LIV and was not signed by another team this offseason, he has had some success on the Asian Tour with five top-6 finishes since turning pro, including winning last year’s championship St. Andrews Bay. He made his big debut at last summer’s US Open after passing the final qualifications.

Chacarra is currently ranked 325th in the Official World Golf Ranking, 319 places behind Ludvig Aberg, who turned pro the same summer. Chacarra said that in his eyes there are parallels between their young professional careers; it’s just that Aberg has received more awards (major exceptions and last year’s Ryder Cup among them) and more attention.

“On LIV, I’m the only young guy to win, and they never talk about me,” adds Chacarra. “They always talk about the same guys.”

Meanwhile, LIV withdrew its bid for OWGR recognition last March after it was previously rejected. He also reduced the number of cards available in his qualifying tournament to just one and didn’t even promote the Asian Tour International Series MVP as Joaquin Niemann won the season-ending Saudi International to top the points race.

“I see what it’s like to win on the PGA Tour and how your life changes, how you get major access points and ranking points,” Chacarra explained in his interview with Flushing It. “Nothing changes at LIV; there is only money. It doesn’t matter if you’re 30th or first, just the money. I’m not the guy who wants more money. What will change my life is playing in Hawaii and qualifying for the majors, qualifying for the Masters, the Ryder Cup.”

Spanish outlet El Periodi Golf also spoke with Chacarra, who is reported to have earned close to $30 million in his three seasons at LIV. Chacarra said in that interview that he “wasn’t completely happy.”

“It had nothing to do with the team or the teammates, it was a question of motivation,” Chacarra said. “I wanted to play major games, to play more. In the end, 14 weeks a year is not enough for me.”

Although he never had PGA Tour status of any kind, Chacarra was suspended from Tour-sanctioned competition until September 23. His ban will expire before the first phase of the PGA Tour Q-School begins (Chacarra should be exempt through prequalification because the DP World Tour was shortened last year).

Meanwhile, Chacarra will compete in Asia as he seeks a sponsor exemption on the DP World Tour.

“I’m very grateful for what they did,” Chacarra added to LIV, “but my mind is different now and I want to get to what I dreamed of when I was little. Because apparently LIV didn’t exist when I was growing up. I watched Tiger Woods win on the PGA Tour and I want to do that.”