Can Eugenio Chacarra Play a PGA Tour Event? Ex-LIV Golf Pro’s Eligibility Status Explored

Eugenio Chacarra was 22 years old when he got the option to play in the Korn Ferry Tour. Instead, he jumped ship and joined LIV Golf to pursue his professional golfing career. He had an incredible 3 years in the PIF-funded circuit with his team, the Fireballs GC, making it to the knockouts in 2023. Individually, he had 1 win at LIV Golf Bangkok in 2022. But that is where the LIV journey ends for the now-24-year-old.

Chacarra was let go by his team, Fireballs GC, and has decided to move away from LIV. He is now looking to find his way back into the PGA Tour. Interestingly, Chacarra has never held a PGA Tour card. Does that mean he can join the Tour immediately? The simple answer is no. Even though he was a non-member of the PGA Tour, Chacarra still went on to play for LIV Golf, there are rules for that.

As per the regulations set by Jay Monahan & Co., even the non-members who have played at LIV Golf need to wait for 1 year before they can join the Jay Monahan commissioned Tour. Based on the final event he played for LIV Golf, he is banned from officially participating in the PGA Tour until September 23, 2025. This would be the perfect time for him to rise through the ranks in the Q-School again and win his place on the Tour.

As confirmed by @BrentleyGC, “Chacarra’s suspension ends Sept. 23, which is in time for him to enter the first stage of PGA Tour Q-School. In the meantime, he’ll have to stay sharp elsewhere, as even players who’ve never held any type of Tour status are subject to suspension.”

However, does that mean that Eugenio Chacarra is not eligible for PGA Tour events on invite as well? Let’s take a look at what the rules say about that.

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While this is a tricky subject, itSports Illustrated published an article reflecting on the situation and how the PGA Tour is mishandling it. Before LIV Golf had begun, no rule restricted non-members from joining the American league on merit. However, the 2022-2023 PGA Tour Player Handbook & Tournament Regulations were updated with a new rule that barred non-members who played in unsanctioned events from joining the Tour for 1 year.

The famed sports magazine also shared the statement released by the PGA Tour in this regard. The spokesperson said, “The PGA TOUR has determined that any player who has participated in an unauthorized tournament is ineligible to compete in any event sanctioned by the PGA TOUR for a period of one year from the final round of competition of the unauthorized tournament in which he participated. Once any period of ineligibility has ended, a nonmember may participate in PGA TOUR events and any qualifying events such as the PGA TOUR Qualifying Tournament.” This confirms that while Eugenio Chacarra has never been a member of the PGA Tour, his involvement with LIV Golf has barred him from any competition until September 23, 2025.

Do you think the regulations are fair for non-members like Eugenio Chacarra? Share your views in the comments section.