Just over two weeks removed from fracturing a bone in his toe by stubbing it on his couch, Eugenio Chacarra is once again in position to win on the DP World Tour.
Chacarra will take the solo lead into what figures to be a marathon final day at the DP World India Championship, where play was suspended Saturday due to darkness after Friday's second round saw a lengthy weather delay.
Through 11 holes, Chacarra is working on a bogey-free third round and sits at 14 under for the tournament, two shots clear of a tie for second between Joost Luiten and Angel Hidalgo. The third round will resume at 6:35 a.m. local time Sunday, which is 9:05 p.m. ET Saturday night
in the U.S.
How it stands at the top after round three was suspended due to darkness 📊#DPWIC pic.twitter.com/qGmBSraIDS
— DP World Tour (@DPWorldTour) October 17, 2026
After considering withdrawal due to his broken toe, Chacarra battled through the pain to finish runner-up at the Spanish Open last week, which pushed him ahead of Rory McIlroy in the Race to Dubai Rankings, the DP World Tour's season-long points standings. Only Patrick Reed stands between Chacarra and the No. 1 spot, which the Spaniard would overtake should he close out a victory Sunday at Delhi Golf Club.
"Obviously [Patrick Reed and Rory McIlroy] are two of the best players in the world, so for me to compete with them I need to bring my A-game like I said and I'm trying to do that," Chacarra said. "My team and myself are putting all we can to contend in Dubai. Obviously I need to get points, have some good weeks because those guys, they never rest. It's always going to be a good week for them."
While they aren't playing poorly, neither Reed nor McIlroy is really contending in India this week. It appeared as if Reed was certain to miss the cut after a 3-over 75 in the opening round and a double bogey at the fourth hole in the second round put him behind the 8-ball.
But the 2018 Masters winner battled back, making five birdies on the back nine ― including four in his final six holes ― to move one shot inside the cutline. Now, he's creeping up the leaderboard. With five birdies and an eagle on his scorecard, Reed was 6 under through 13 holes in the third round when play was suspended. He still has a lot of work to do if he wants to get in contention, though, as he's eight shots off the lead.
McIlroy, meanwhile, is going to need a herculean effort if he wants any chance of securing his 22nd career victory on the DP World Tour. The reigning Masters champion has made four bogeys and a double bogey through 15 holes in the third round, but a hole-out eagle right before officials blew the horn Saturday might have given him some momentum headed into the final day.
RORY MCILROY HOLES OUT FOR EAGLE FROM THE BUNKER 🤩#DPWIC pic.twitter.com/41LxOCzKe3
— DP World Tour (@DPWorldTour) October 17, 2026
Tommy Fleetwood is the defending champ this week in India and he has a chance to make a run at back-to-back titles. The Englishman was able to finish his third round, turning in a 68 to get to 9 under for the tournament. He's tied for 11th, five shots off the lead.
And speaking of PGA Tour and European Ryder Cup stalwarts, Robert MacIntyre and Shane Lowry also find themselves in the mix at Delhi Golf Club. With five holes still to play in his third round, MacIntyre is in a tie for 13th at 8 under, while Lowry completed his round to the tune of a 3-under 69 to get to 7 under overall.
Nick Stavas is a digital producer and commerce writer for Golfweek. Follow him on X/Twitter (@nickstavas).
This article originally appeared on Golfweek: Eugenio Chacarra takes 2-shot lead into marathon final day at DP World India Championship
