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SportsGolf

Chacarra closes with an eagle for a 63 and takes a five-shot lead into India Championship final round

The Spaniard finished his weather-hit third round early on Sunday at 19 under par. Om Prakash Chouhan is the leading Indian in a tie for 31st as the final 18 holes get under way at Delhi Golf Club.

From the editorial desk · New DelhiPublished
Indian golfer Yuvraj Sandhu, who is also in the India Championship field (file photo)
Indian golfer Yuvraj Sandhu, who is also in the India Championship field (file photo)Photo: Balwinder Singh Sandhu / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0

Key points

  1. Eugenio Chacarra shot a nine-under 63 to reach 19 under par at Delhi Golf Club.
  2. New Zealand's Daniel Hillier is five shots back on 14 under, with Joost Luiten third.
  3. Om Prakash Chouhan is the best-placed Indian, tied 31st at five under.

Eugenio Chacarra came back to Delhi Golf Club at dawn on Sunday with seven holes of his third round to play and left them with a five-shot lead in the DP World India Championship.

The Spaniard picked up three birdies and finished with an eagle to complete a nine-under 63, matching the lowest round of the week set by Laurie Canter in the second round. At 19 under par after rounds of 67, 67 and 63, he takes a commanding lead into the final 18 holes, which began soon after the third round was completed.

Play resumed at 6:35 am after fading light halted the third round for a second evening running on Saturday. Chacarra had been two shots clear at that point, at 14 under with seven holes left.

The chasing pack

New Zealand’s Daniel Hillier is his closest challenger on 14 under, with Joost Luiten of the Netherlands a shot further back and Chacarra’s compatriot Angel Hidalgo fourth on 12 under. JC Ritchie, Adrian Meronk and Scott Jamieson share fifth on 11 under. Tommy Fleetwood, the defending champion, is tied ninth on nine under.

Rory McIlroy and Patrick Reed, both in the hunt with Chacarra for the season-long Race to Dubai, were well behind him by Saturday evening. McIlroy dropped to 10 shots off the lead after four bogeys and a double bogey early in his third round, before holing a bunker shot for an eagle at the 14th.

Chacarra was clear about the stakes on Saturday. “They’re two of the best players in the world so for me to compete with them, I need to bring my A-game,” he said. “I just play to win, you know. I love winning. I love being in contention on Sunday.”

A good place for him

A win in the $4 million event would be his third on the DP World Tour this season and would take him to the top of the Race to Dubai standings. India has already been kind to him: his first DP World Tour title came at the 2025 Hero Indian Open at DLF Golf and Country Club, about an hour’s drive away, where he played on an invitation. He also won the KLM Open in June.

The Indians

Six Indians made the cut. Om Prakash Chouhan is the best of them, tied 31st on five under after rounds of 68, 72 and 71. Anirban Lahiri, after a 69 on Saturday, is tied 41st on four under. Yuvraj Sandhu is tied 54th, Karandeep Kochhar and Saptak Talwar are level par in a tie for 63rd, and Shiv Kapur is one over.