Eugenio Chacarra comes into this week’s Open de España presented by Madrid in the form of his life, but with one very clear idea: to make playing at home feel, as far as possible, like any other week of competition.
The Madrid native admits that, in previous years, the excitement of playing the tournament in front of family and friends also ended up taking a considerable toll. “All my friends, all my family, everyone comes to be with me and the week gets very long”, he explained ahead of the tournament. The accumulation of commitments meant that, by his own admission, he was mentally exhausted before the competition began.
Thus, the Spaniard has decided to change his approach this year. Chacarra and his team have rented a house in Madrid, where they will try to recreate the usual routine of any tournament away from home: practice, preparation, rest and focus.
“We’re going to treat it more as if we were playing just another tournament. It doesn’t matter that it’s in Madrid. The whole team is staying together at the house, doing the same things we do when we’re somewhere else,” he said.
The plan is intended to help him manage a week that will inevitably still be special. Chacarra knows Real Club de Campo Villa de Madrid inside out, having played the course since childhood, and much of the crowd will be behind him. This time, however, he wants that familiarity and support to be an advantage rather than an additional source of pressure.
The Madrid native is not shying away from the kind of expectations that come from a season in which he has shown his ability to win and compete consistently among the best. Even so, he refuses to place himself above the other title contenders. “Everyone playing is a favourite. The beauty of golf is that the trophy isn’t simply handed to the best player. I know what I’m capable of and I’ve already proved it many times. Playing with Patrick Reed and Shane Lowry in the first two rounds means I must have done something right to earn that pairing, so I’ll try to enjoy it, learn from those two major champions, and do the best I can”.
His plan for the next four days is simply not to change what has worked for him throughout the year. “I’m going to treat the week like any other, play the course according to the strategy my team and I have prepared and, if I do that, I’m sure I’ll be up there in contention.”
One of the keys will be the course conditions. The rain has left Real Club de Campo softer than Chacarra considers ideal. “This course plays much better when it’s firm”, he said of a layout that, in his view, becomes more interesting when the fairways and greens are much harder.
Experience, confidence and, above all, a different approach to one of the standout weeks on his calendar. Chacarra wants to enjoy playing in front of his home crowd, but this time with one priority above all others: to compete.
