[Photo: Zhe Ji]
A former LIV golfer left in the middle of a playoff at a US Open final qualifier yesterday.
The unusual situation happened at Dallas Athletic Club during a six-way playoff for the ninth and final spot available in the field next month at Shinnecock Hills. But after current LIV golfer Caleb Surratt birdied the first extra hole, there were still two alternate spots to play for.
That’s when Eugenio Chacarra decided to leave the premises, forfeiting his chance of getting into the US Open. Monday Q Info’s Ryan French originally reported the bizarre scene.
According to a few people. Very odd scenario in the 6 for 1 playoff.
On the first hole Caleb Surratt made birdie to win. The other five players made par and moved on to play for 1st and 2nd alt. Both VERY important at this site.
And Eugenio Chacarra just left. Not sure what…
— Monday Q Info (@acaseofthegolf1) May 19, 2026
But on Chacarra, who now plays on the DP World Tour after spending three years on LIV, responded to explain why he left. And it makes more sense.
I left because my goal it’s to get my pga tour card through the Dp tour and for me to prepare Belgium the right way was to get that flight.
When you fly to Europe you lose one day and that’s was the only chance I had to get there on time to get some rest and practice the course— Eugenio Chacarra (@Eugeniochacarra) May 19, 2026
As you can see, he had a flight to Belgium that he wanted to make in order to get there in time to prepare properly for this week’s DP World Tour event, the Soudal Open. And that his bigger focus is earning his PGA Tour card by being in the top 10 of that circuit.
Chacarra also explained that he chose the Dallas site instead of Walton Heath in England because he lives in Oklahoma, doesn’t prefer links golf, and qualified for the 2024 US Open in Dallas. So, again, his abrupt departure makes more sense, but it was still a strange sight.
Chandler Phillips and Henrik Norlander earned the first and second-alternate spots in Dallas, while Peter Uihlein was medallist, one shot ahead of Tom Kim.
Chacarra is currently 18th on the DP World Tour’s Race to Dubai ranking, but several players above him already have PGA Tour status for next year. Recent Truist Championship winner Kristoffer Reitan is an example of one player who used that category to move to the PGA Tour.
