Ex-LIV star slams league in shock U-turn

A former LIV Golf winner has turned on the league after failing to secure a return ahead of the new season.

Eugenio Chacarra, who was released by Fireballs GC after finishing in the Open Zone, has made a shock U-turn and set his sights on the PGA Tour.

Speaking to X account Flushing It, the Spaniard called out broken promises from the Saudi-backed circuit, while declaring its only incentives are financial.

“I’m thankful for everything LIV has given me,” he said. “I’m 24 years old and my life is set.

“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.

“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 thirtieth or first, only money. I’m not a guy who wants more money.

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“What will change my life is playing in Hawaii and qualifying for the majors, qualifying for the Masters, the Ryder Cup.

“When I joined LIV, they promised OWGR and majors. But it didn’t happen. I trusted them. I was the first young guy, then the others came after I made the decision.

“But OWGR and majors still hasn’t happened. It’s frustrating, but I’m excited for the new opportunity and to see where my game takes me.”

It comes after Chacarra, who joined LIV in 2022, told bunkered.co.uk in October that he would ‘love to stay’ on LIV Golf in 2025.

The former world No.2 amateur signed a three-year contract during LIV’s inaugural season and won the LIV Golf Invitational Bangkok event shortly after.

“I would love to stay, my goal is to stay and even if they don’t pick me, I can still go to LIV Promotions and play my way in, so we’ll see what happens,” he said.

“Good golf will take care of itself, but I’m excited for these upcoming opportunities.”

However, Chacarra – who chose not to play in the Promotions event in December – added that if he didn’t return, opportunities could arise on the DP World or PGA Tour.

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Now, that’s his plan A after claiming he was ‘never treated like a winner’ on LIV, while insisting he could have been in a similar position as Ryder Cup winner Ludvig Aberg.

“On the PGA Tour, Ludvig Aberg has one win, and I have one win on LIV,” Chacarra told Flushing It. “He has one win on the European Tour, and I have one win on the International Series on the Asian Tour.

“So, we have similar careers, but he has way more experience and plays way more big tournaments, but we have the same wins. We have performed similar.

“But he’s the number six player in the world and everyone talks about him. But on LIV, I’m the only young guy who’s won, and they never talk about me. They always talk about the same guys.

“I’m not blaming them, they probably know more, but they don’t really care about the young guys much. So, this decision is what’s best for me.

“I’m very thankful for what they’ve done, but my mind is different now and I want to get to what I was dreaming about when I was little, because LIV didn’t exist when I was growing up.

“I was watching Tiger Woods winning on the PGA Tour and I want to do that.”

John Turnbull A graduate of the University of Stirling, John joined the bunkered team in 2023 as a Content Producer, with a responsibility for covering all breaking news, tour news, grassroots content and much more besides. A keen golfer, he plays the majority of his golf at Falkirk Golf Club. Top of his 'bucket list' is a round of Pebble Beach... ideally in the company of Gareth Bale.