Weekend Round-Up: Rory McIlroy Responds to Kevin Kisner, Eugenio Chacarra Wins (Again)

In the DP World India Keep-the-Driver-in-the-Bag Championship, Eugenio Chacarra held off Daniel Hillier to win by two. Throughout the weekend, the telecast marveled at the Spaniard’s rapid pace of play; Chacarra frequently pulled the trigger less than 10 seconds after teeing up the ball. Patrick Cantlay or Brian Harman, he is not!

With the victory, Chacarra’s third on the DP World Tour this season, he moved into the top spot in the Race to Dubai standings with three tournaments remaining.

Chacarra, the second-ranked amateur in the world when he left Oklahoma State for LIV Golf in 2022, raised eyebrows this past May when he bolted for a flight to Europe rather than compete in a playoff at U.S. Open Final Qualifying. Chacarra explained that his top priority was earning a PGA Tour card and that missing the flight would have jeopardized his preparation for that week’s DP World Tour event. The decision may have seemed curious at the time, but mission accomplished: Chacarra will have full PGA Tour status next year as one of the top 10 finishers on the DP World Tour.

No stranger to making headlines, Chacarra also drew attention for comments he made after his stint on LIV with Sergio Garcia’s Fireballs. “I see what it’s like to win on the PGA Tour and how your life changes,” he told Flushing It at the beginning of 2025. “How you get major access and ranking points. On LIV, nothing changes, there is only money.” Now ranked inside the top 40 in the world with a clear pathway to the strongest fields in golf, Chacarra will have the opportunity to earn his way into all the events money can’t buy — and perhaps notch a Race to Dubai title in the process. As of now, the DP World Tour still plans to stage the final two events of the season in the Middle East while monitoring the ongoing tensions, per Front Office Sports.

Also in India, 28-year-old Angel Hidalgo finished tied for third to move within striking distance of a PGA Tour card, climbing to 17th in the standings as the DP World Tour season winds to a close. He also revealed he calls his mother before every competitive round. From the first tee!

Kevin Kisner took aim at Rory McIlroy over the sincerity of his stated desire to grow the game globally as McIlroy collected an appearance fee to compete in India. “I guess for the right price, we could all say that comment,” Kisner said last week on the Fore Play podcast. “He doesn’t want to globally expand in India, he wants to get his $10 million bucks and go play in India.” After a T-42 finish, McIlroy was asked about Kisner’s comments. “Two things can be true at the same time,” McIlroy replied. “People can get paid to come and play at a tournament, but at the same time, do it from a place of genuine interest of trying to bring the sport to another country — a developing country — a country where the middle class is bigger than the entire population of the United States. It’s a huge market for golf.” So the second-ranked player in the world and NBC’s lead golf analyst are more or less openly quarreling, which should make for a fun subplot on future NBC telecasts.

Lastly, Justin Rose spoke to the Mirror and put on record that he’d welcome all LIV golfers back into the PGA Tour and/or DP World Tour fold with open arms. “No hard feelings from my point of view,” Rose said. “Everyone is welcome back.” Per the report, he also indicated that the end of LIV would be “good for golf.” Not so fast, Justin. There are still Internet rumors circulating that Brendan Steele remains committed to LIV 2.0. It isn’t going anywhere.