Eugenio Chacarra is targeting two wins in 2026 as he brings a new approach to his title defence at the Hero Indian Open.
The Spaniard was making just his ninth DP World Tour start at DLF Golf and Country Club when he lifted the trophy last season and went on to take up membership and make it all the way to the DP World Tour Play-Offs.
While he had already been a winner internationally since turning professional in 2022, Chacarra admits that after earning a place to play full-time, he perhaps could have managed his schedule better as he adjusted to life on tour.
But after a three-week break which ended with a top 25 on the PGA TOUR, he is confident he can establish himself as one of the world’s best – something he affirmed after his win here last year.
“I think my second or third DP World Tour title is going to come this year, that’s the goal,” he said. “I think I can win a couple of times out here once my game is where it needs to be and my mental [side of being an athlete] is where it needs to be.
“I think I’m going to start contending way more, I just need to find those little things that as golfers we try to find every week.
“When I'm healthy and I'm playing good, I feel like I'm one of the best players in the world.”
Following his win in New Delhi, Chacarrra played 21 times in seven months on the DP World Tour before adding a further seven starts from a possible eight either side of the winter break in the 2026 season.
That hectic schedule and resulting burnout prompted him not only to take a break but to shake up his dietary and exercise routine and he now feels he has a fresh platform from which he can tackle the season ahead.
“It was tough to not go and play in Kenya and South Africa, I skipped three events, but I (had) played so much,” he said. “When I won here, I hadn’t played the first 13 events on the DP World Tour (2025 season) so I didn’t have a lot of experience.
“If I could go back I would probably do it differently... I was a little burned out of golf and burning out of not being with my family and friends and everyone at home. I missed that and I needed some time off to refresh my mind and it was great.”
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He added: "I feel like I wasn't as healthy as I needed to be for how young I was. I love to practise, I hit a lot of golf balls, I love to be on the golf course a lot. My back was bothering me a little. I was struggling and was stretching. I was doing all I could do to feel good the next day and I wasn't.
“So obviously we went with my team and we see what we needed. I hired new physiotherapists that come with me every week. I got a new workout guy.
"I did a lot of testing for my nutrition to see what works for my body and what doesn't. I'm still getting used to it. It's only been a month and a half since I started doing this. I took away a lot of food that I used to eat that I liked that wasn't great for me. And it's just a transition. It's been tough in a lot of senses but I know down the road it's going to be great for me.
“One thing that I used to eat a lot for breakfast was oatmeal. I had a lot of oatmeal at breakfast and we find out that it's actually really bad for me. It kind of like gets my body and stuff more nervous, my body system. So that was a tough one because I used to love it with some yogurt and stuff in the morning and I thought I was eating healthy and it was good for me and it turned out it wasn't good for me. So yeah, I'm just learning.
“You learn something every single day and there's so much stuff that you can get better. I'm excited and I think I'm going in the right direction.
“I'm trying to become more professional in every aspect of the game, not just the golf, just like the diet, what to eat on the course, how to work out, when to work out, when to stretch. All that stuff is stuff that I don't think I did like the best players in the world do. So I'm still trying to figure out what's good for my body, for my game and what should I do.”
Chacarra may have missed the cut at last week’s Hainan Classic presented by MAEXTRO but does not feel his game is far away and is hopeful that the combination of a happy hunting ground and some confidence gained from his tie for 21st at the PGA TOUR's Puerto Rico Open can stand him in good stead.
“I came back in Puerto Rico and had a great week and last week, my game was fine,” he said. “I ended up missing the cut by one but it was all about the greens, I couldn’t hole a putt.
“But it was nice to be back on the DP World Tour and it’s super nice to be back here. I don’t know how I’m going to play this week, my expectations are low but I just love every moment even if I don’t play well or I have my best, I still enjoy every shot out here and I’m happy to be here.
“Hopefully I can perform well and have a chance to win on Sunday.”
