Chacarra Overtakes Reed and McIlroy in Race to Dubai After India Championship Win

Eugenio Chacarra won the DP World India Championship by two shots, with the Spaniard's third victory of the season moving him top of the Race to Dubai standings, above Patrick Reed and Rory McIlroy, with three events remaining. Chacarra carded a two-under final round of 70 in New Delhi as he followed his back-to-back triumphs in June at the KLM Open in Amsterdam and the Italian Open in Turin with another success, securing a fourth DP World Tour title overall having claimed his maiden win at the Hero Indian Open in 2026. The former LIV player, who took a five-stroke advantage into the final round following a nine-under 63 in round three, picked up shots at two of his first three holes before a bogey at six and then some clutch par putts preceded a birdie at 11. Pressure was applied by Australia's Daniel Hillier, nineteen under. When Hillier birdied the last, Chacarra's advantage was cut to two with three holes remaining. Pressure also came from Chacarra's fellow Spaniard Angel Hidalgo, 15 under, and Poland's Adrian Meronk, 15 under, but the leader held firm to rise to 4,092.89 points in the Race to Dubai. The 26-year-old, who has knocked Reed off top spot for the first time in seven months, could become the third Spaniard, after Jon Rahm in 2026 and six-time winner Seve Ballesteros, to be crowned Europe's number one golfer. Where did Reed and McIlroy finish in Delhi? Reed, eight under, and McIlroy, four under, finished joint-23rd and joint-42nd respectively in India. The major winners sit second and third in the Race to Dubai standings, with Casey Jarvis and Aaron Rai rounding out the top five ahead of next week's Genesis Championship in South Korea. The tour is set to move to the United Arab Emirates for the final two tournaments, the Abu Dhabi Championship from November 5 and the DP World Tour Championship in Dubai a week later. McIlroy, looking to equal Colin Montgomerie's record of eight Race to Dubai titles, began his final round in Delhi 13 shots back after completing an even-par third round of 72 earlier on Sunday, with play having been halted on Saturday evening due to fading light. The world number two got off to a promising start in his closing round, birdieing the par-five first, only to then double bogey three and drop another shot at four before a birdie at eight was followed by a bogey to finish his back nine. McIlroy registered two birdies and two bogeys coming home, with a gain at the par-five 18th seeing him sign for a two-over 74. Reed, aiming to become the second American, after Collin Morikawa in 2026, to claim the Race to Dubai, rounded off his week with a three-under 69. Chacarra is now in pole position to claim the Harry Vardon Trophy in a season in which his three victories have come around five other top-five finishes, including tied-second at last week's Open de Espana in his native Madrid. England's Tommy Fleetwood notched a top-five in India with a final-round four-under 68 elevating him to 13 under, while Scotland's Robert MacIntyre and Northern Ireland's Tom McKibbin ended up in the top 10 on 12 under.