Eugenio Chacarra Wins Italian Open and Secures Open Debut at Royal Birkdale

Eugenio Chacarra led from the front to win the DS Automobiles 83° Open d’Italia at Circolo Golf Torino, closing with a bogey-free 64 for a five-shot victory at 24 under par. The win, his second consecutive on the DP World Tour, also secured him the single qualifying place on offer through the Open Qualifying Series, sending him to Royal Birkdale for his Open Championship debut next month.

Chacarra had won the KLM Open Open in the Netherlands earlier in June, and the Italian Open title made him only the fifth player to win both national opens in the same year. The last to do so was Ramón Sota, uncle of Seve Ballesteros, in 1971.

England’s Matt Wallace finished second on 19 under after a closing 67, while Chile’s Joaquín Niemann took third at 18 under. Sweden’s Joakim Lagergren posted the round of the day, a nine-birdie 63, to finish fourth at 17 under.

Final-round shape

Chacarra began Sunday with a two-stroke lead but Wallace applied early pressure, chipping in for eagle at the par-five 1st to halve the deficit. Niemann also birdied that hole before a double-bogey six at the 2nd knocked him back.

The Spaniard responded with a birdie at the par-three 5th and then took control around the turn, reeling off birdies at the 8th, 9th and 10th. Wallace stayed in touch with gains of his own at the 7th and 9th, but Chacarra’s lead was back to three heading into the closing stretch.

Wallace birdied the 14th to cut the margin to two, but Chacarra closed out the title at the par-five 15th with an eagle putt from 35 feet. Wallace made birdie there to stay within three but came up inches short of another gain at the 16th and bogeyed the 17th. Chacarra parred in for his third DP World Tour title.

Looking ahead to Royal Birkdale

Chacarra said he was proud of how he handled the pressure of the final group. “It was a good fight, two world-class players, probably two of the best players in the world,” he said. “That’s what I’ve been dreaming of since I was little, to play against those kind of players down the stretch.”

On his Open qualification, he said: “I’m very excited. I’ve never played there, I’ve always dreamed of playing it and been watching on TV since I was little. Excited to be out there, now it’s time to celebrate and then we can focus on that.”

That win also moved Chacarra up to third place on the Race to Dubai standings, with Patrick Reed and Rory McIlroy ahead of him.

Wallace, meanwhile, collected the US$40,000 Nexo Course Record Award for his 62 on Friday, which erased the mark of 63 set by Edoardo Molinari a day earlier. Wallace joked that, by taking the record from the beloved Vice Captain on his home course, he may have damaged his Ryder Cup chances, and said he planned to contribute towards the club’s junior programme if the record stood.

The 154th Open at Royal Birkdale runs from 16–19 July.

Related: Tim Wiedemeyer Wins European Amateur Championship in Finland, Earns Royal Birkdale Spot

The 21-year-old German recovered from a first-round 73 to win by two at Linna Golf.

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