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Eugenio Chacarra is out of LIV Golf and losing prime years. It’s a cautionary tale for youth

By DOUG FERGUSON AP Golf Writer

HONOLULU (AP) — One of the complaints that Eugenio Chacarra had about LIV Golf concerned money, of all things.

Chacarra left Oklahoma State in 2022 to join the Saudi-funded league, the brightest of the young players on a roster of mostly aging veterans. He won in his fifth start, and there were no complaints then.

“I feel the best players in the world are here, so I think it’s a great thing, and I’m proud of my significance,” he said that winning week in Thailand.

But he registered only one top-10 finish each of the next two years, and his fellow Spaniard, Sergio Garcia, left him off the Fireballs roster for the 2025 season.

In three years, Chacarra made just over $12.6 million, not including what he called a “life-changing” signing bonus. The earnings are more than Nick Dunlap and Akshay Bhatia — both two-time winners — have combined to win on the PGA Tour.

“I see what it’s like to win on the PGA Tour and how your life changes. How you get major access and ranking points. On LIV, nothing changes, there is only money. It doesn’t matter if you finish 30th or first, only money,” Chacarra told the flushingitgolf account on X.

“I’m not a guy who wants more money,” Chacarra said. “What will change my life is playing in Hawaii and qualifying for the majors, qualifying for the Masters, the Ryder Cup.”

There’s still time. Chacarra, who turns 25 in March, will just have to wait. The PGA Tour penalty for playing in the rival league — whether a player was ever a tour member — is one year from the last LIV appearance.

He would be eligible for Q-school later this year. Only the top five earn cards. Otherwise, it’s a year on the Korn Ferry Tour in a bid to earn one of 25 cards. It’s a tough road for anyone.

In the meantime, Chacarra has played only one major. He qualified for the U.S. Open last year and missed the cut. Barring how he fares on the Asian Tour — one of the few places to which he has access — qualifying for the two Opens would appear to be his only avenue.

That’s as cautionary a tale as any for young players tempted to join a league that offers no world ranking points and no access to the majors, only money.

LIV didn’t have any blockbuster signings during this offseason, but there was a noticeable trend toward unproven youth with Luis Masaveu of Spain (presumably replacing Chacarra) and 22-year-old Yubin Jang, a two-time winner on the Korean Tour last year.

That’s two more youngsters with a rough road to the majors.

And at their age, they have time on their side. But it comes at a time when golf is getting so young that peak years are being wasted. The American Express this week is an example of that. Dunlap won it last year, the first amateur in 33 years to win on the PGA Tour. And then he won again later in the year. He is No. 32 in the world.

Bhatia turned pro at 17 without going to college and won for the first time in 2023 when he was 21. He won again last year and is No. 30 in the world. He’ll play in all four majors this year.

“Tiger changed a lot of things,” Gary Woodland said. “Guys are training at a younger age, hitting it long and hard. Look at what Nick Dunlap did last year. These college kids are ready to play. … When I came out here, only a couple of guys were in the gym. Now it’s hard to get in.”

Jordan Spieth is 31 and preparing for his 13th year on the PGA Tour. He has noticed a big change in depth in youth, and found himself looking at a nine-year window for his best golf.

“What’s daunting about the future is I don’t believe post-40 the game was as easy as it once was, no matter what shape you’re in,” Spieth said.

Brice Garnett was the only player in his 40s to win on the PGA Tour last year.

Even without big signing bonuses, LIV offers guaranteed money with no cut, and Chacarra showed that a lot of money can be made. All that’s lost is time, particularly when it comes to the majors.

The PGA Tour and the Public Investment Fund of Saudi Arabia are close to an investment deal, but left unclear is what that means for the whole of golf. Even if there is some form of unification, the most likely outcome is players keeping whatever status they had.

Chacarra had none.

Ditto for Masaveu and Jang, as was the case for James Piot, the former U.S. Amateur champion. Chacarra was high enough in the PGA Tour University ranking that he would have been virtually a lock to have Korn Ferry Tour status for the second half of the year.

Instead, he chose to sign with LIV and it paid immediate dividends with a win in Bangkok and nearly $7 million in prize money for 2022 in just six events. That would have been equal to No. 9 on the PGA Tour money list that year.

That was as good as it got for Chacarra (except for an extra $5.7 million in prize money).

Where does he go now?

His immediate plans are an Asian Tour International Series event in India. He is talented enough, and talent always seems to find its way. The question for Chacarra is how long it will take, and how many prime years did he trade.

“I’m thankful for everything LIV has given me. I’m 24 years old and my life is set,” he said. “I don’t know if it will work out for the best or not, but I know this is what my heart tells me is right and it works for my motivation to wake up and grind and get better, and to say I can be a PGA Tour player one day.”

The Associated Press contributed to this article.