MADRID — Eugenio Chacarra leads the Spanish Open after an opening 66, but the 26-year-old is considering withdrawing from the top of the leaderboard due to a broken toe. Chacarra, who has won twice on the DP World Tour this season and is in contention with Patrick Reed and Rory McIlroy for the Race to Dubai title, posted the best round of the day in a field that includes Sergio Garcia and Justin Rose.
Chacarra entered the week injured after breaking his toe while getting a glass of water in the middle of the night last week, and he said he did not want to miss his national open. Despite the pain, he played through 18 holes, but told the DP World Tour, "It's not good, suffering a lot. It's been tough; not sure what is going to happen tomorrow. I need to take care of myself. Obviously, I got a good round, but how I feel physically is not great."
He added that swinging is not the issue, saying, "It doesn't hurt when I'm swinging, so I can still make a score, but it's been really tough to walk." Chacarra noted the pain over the final 12 holes has him weighing the next month, saying, "The pain I had on the last 12 holes, I don't know if it is worth it as I have a lot to play the next couple of weeks," and "I've got 24 hours to rest and see how it feels in the morning. I've got a lot to play for, I've got four weeks that are really important to me."
A withdrawal would be a blow for the tournament, which already lost Jon Rahm before the event as he expects the birth of his fourth child. Chacarra is making a strong case to European captain Luke Donald for a role at next year's Ryder Cup, and his status for the remainder of the Spanish Open will depend on how the toe responds overnight.