Eugenio Chacarra has made it a three-way fight for the Race to Dubai title.

Midway through the season it looked certain that we’d get an end-of-year showdown between Rory McIlroy and Patrick Reed. McIlroy is looking to tie Colin Montgomerie’s record of eight titles, meanwhile his old rival, Reed, was hoping to upset the Masters champion as he awaits his PGA Tour return next year. 

But a third contender entered the fray. Chacarra is a highly touted young star. The 26-year-old Spaniard has had a remarkable season on the DP World Tour, winning twice so far, and his recent results have seen him jump past McIlroy to take second in the standings. 

Chacarra now leads the DP World India Championship after two rounds, and after shooting 10-under through 36 holes, he explained what he has to do in order to upset both McIlroy and Reed.

Chacarra has put himself firmly in contention to win the Race to Dubai title, and shows no signs of slowing down in India. He’s finished in the top five in his last two events, and is in pole position to secure his third win of the season. 

Speaking after his second round, Chacarra said what he thinks he must do to beat McIlroy and Reed down the stretch of the DP World Tour season. 

He said, “Obviously they’re the best, one of best two players in the world, so for me to compete with them I need to bring my A-game like I said and I’m trying to do that.

“My team and myself are putting all we can to contend in Dubai. Obviously I need to get points, have some good weeks because those guys, they never rest. It’s always going to be a good week for them; they’re going to win.

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“So I need to get my momentum going and hopefully I can keep doing that.”

When asked how it felt to lead the tournament at the half way stage, he answered, “Just play to win, you know. I love winning. I love being in contention on Sunday. That’s what I play every week for, you have a chance to win the tournament the last nine holes on Sunday.

“Obviously it’s nice when you’re at the top of Friday, but there is a lot of golf left still. But, yeah, I like where I’m at. I like where my game is. I need to control what I can control, and that’s my target for the next couple rounds.”

Chacarra is playing with an assured confidence beyond his years, and he’ll need every ounce of that confidence if he hopes to beat both of these superstars to the title.