2026-10-05 OPEN DE ESPAÑA DE GOLF PRESENTED BY MADRID 2026. CLUB DE CAMPO VILLA DE MADRID ( SPAIN ) PHOTO: MATEO VILLALBA / OPEN DE ESPAÑA
Eugenio Chacarra arrives at Real Club de Campo Villa de Madrid in the form of his life after a season that has completely changed the path of his career. Two wins, third in the Race to Dubai, and a PGA Tour card for next year practically in the bag. Three days before the tournament kicks off, the Madrid native is approaching his home Open with a clear goal; to make Madrid just another week at work.
Therein lay the problem on some of his previous visits to the event. Playing at home, surrounded by family, friends and fans, rather than being an advantage, all began to take its toll mentally. “All my friends, all my family, they all come here to be with me and it makes for a very long week”, explains Chacarra. This time he has a plan.
The Madrid native and his team have decided to isolate themselves. They have rented a house and brought the routine they follow for the rest of the season with them to Madrid. Practice, rest, preparation, and concentration. As far as he can, the Spaniard will avoid treating the Open de España like a special week.
“We’re going to approach it as if we were playing just any other tournament. With the whole team in the house, it makes no difference that it’s in Madrid. We’re doing the same things we do when we’re anywhere else”, he explains.
The change comes with good reason. Chacarra acknowledges that in previous years at the event he was already “very tired mentally”. The excitement of playing in front of his own people also meant he had more duties to fulfil, more visits, more distractions. This year he wants to enjoy his people, but without losing sight of the fact that this is one of the most important weeks of his season.
Now all that is left to do is finish his year in style. And where better to do it than in Madrid? Chacarra is currently third in the Race to Dubai and he knows very well what he is capable of, which is exactly why he rejects any attempt to call him a favourite. “Everyone playing here is a favourite. The great thing about golf is that not only the best have a chance. I know what I’m capable of and I’ve proved it many times”, he says.
His goal, therefore, is simple: to keep doing exactly what got him here in the first place. “I’m going to treat the week as if it were any other. I’m going to stick to my game plan with my team, and I’m sure if I do that I’ll be up there fighting for it”.
He will also have to adapt to a course that, at the moment, is not playing exactly as he would like. Recent rain has made for soft fairways and greens and Chacarra believes Real Club de Campo is at its best when it is firm. “This course plays much better when it’s hard”, he explains. The fairways are quite long and the greens are soft, but there are still three days left for the greenkeepers to firm things up.
However, there is one thing that will never change; Chacarra knows the layout like the back of his hand. He is from Madrid, he has been playing the black course since he was young, and he has arrived on the kind of confidence that comes from a season that has exceeded all expectations.
This time around, Madrid will not be a party. It will be business as usual. And if the experiment works, the Open de España could become the perfect stage to put the icing on the cake of a season that has taken Chacarra much further than he could have imagined just a few months ago.
