Painkillers and tape kept Eugenio Chacarra moving at Club de Campo, but the Madrid crowd did the heavy lifting. The local favorite, nursing a fractured third toe on his right foot, ground out a two-under 69 to stay in the mix for his home Open. The DP World Tour confirmed the injury details after early confusion about which foot was hurt. Chacarra played the opening round under local anesthesia, according to the official DP World Tour report, after breaking the toe just days before the tournament.
In the first round, Chacarra shot a 66 (-5) that included two eagles, sharing the lead with Grant Forrest and Connor Syme despite his injury.
Grant Forrest edged ahead with a 67, reaching nine-under and taking a one-shot lead over Connor Syme and Joel Girrbach. Patrick Reed, who had topped the Race to Dubai since February, missed the cut by a single stroke after finishing one over. The DP World Tour's official status update put Chacarra at seven-under, tied for fourth after two rounds. Shane Lowry, paired with Chacarra and Reed, carded a level-par 71 and dropped to a tie for 34th, eight shots back. Tom McKibbin's 73 left him two shots outside the cut, ending his week early.
Patrick Reed, who had led the Race to Dubai since February, failed to make the cut by a single stroke. A win for Chacarra in Madrid would have moved him ahead of both Reed and Rory McIlroy in the rankings, marking his third title of the season after victories in the national opens of the Netherlands and Italy.
Elsewhere, Liam Nolan of Galway sits tied for 10th at the Hainan Open, eight shots behind Joseba Torres as play paused for darkness. Nolan is 12th in the Road to Mallorca standings and still chasing a DP World Tour card. Gary Hurley's Grand Final hopes faded after a second-round 81 left him well outside the cut. On the Ladies European Tour, Sara Byrne trails Miyu Yamashita by six at the Aramco Korea Championship, while Anna Foster and Lauren Walsh saw mixed results. Max Homa is two shots off the lead at the PGA Tour's Baycurrent Classic in Japan, still searching for his first win since 2023.
