The PGA Tour has had plenty of drama around it competing with the Saudi-backed LIV Golf Series, but a new wrinkle has entered the mix that should make the PGA nervous.
Plenty of top-named players have defected for the new league — including Dustin Johnson, Phil Mickelson, Louis Oosthuizen and, most recently, Brooks Koepka.
Potentially more concerning for the PGA Tour is that the No. 2-ranked amateur in the world, Eugenio Chacarra, is turning professional and joining LIV Golf, which was first reported by the Spanish newspaper Marca.
Chacarra, a two-time first-team All-American, will make his LIV debut next week at Pumpkin Ridge Golf Club in the outskirts of Portland, Ore. This will be the first LIV event in the United States.
Eugenio Chacarra hits a shot in the Division I Men’s Golf Championship.NCAA Photos via Getty ImagesAsked about the signing, Chacarra gave details about this decision and how he sees the future of LIV Golf going.
“My position is that if a player who is not a member of the PGA Tour or the DP World Tour, and I have not earned money while I have been an amateur, so I can play in this league without problems,” Chacarra told Marca (translated from Spanish). “This contract gives me peace of mind and ensures the future of my family. I had already achieved everything as an amateur, and now I will be able to gain experience as a professional.”
Chacarra had previously announced that he would be returning to Oklahoma State University for an extra year, but the opportunity to sign a contract with guaranteed money was too good to pass up. It is unclear how much Charcarra signed for.
“They have given me an opportunity, and my grandfather always told me that when you have [an opportunity], to take the train,” Chacarra said. “In this circuit, they not only wanted legends, but young players with projection, and Greg Norman has noticed me. Here the philosophy is that the players start with a contract and that gives security, so it would not surprise me that players continue to come in. There will be people who do not think it is good and there are others who have chosen this option.”
One of the top amateurs in the world joining LIV for the guaranteed money should certainly raise some alarms inside the PGA.
