LIV GOLF HONG KONG

March 9, 2024

Eugenio Chacarra

Hong Kong Golf Club

Fireballs GC

Press Conference

THE MODERATOR: Let's welcome Eugenio Chacarra from Fireballs GC. 4-under par today 66, 10-under par for the tournament. Can you talk us through your round today.

EUGENIO CHACARRA: Yeah, I mean, I think there's a lot of positives. Like I said yesterday, I think my life changed on Tuesday. I got a big life lesson that I feel I needed to hear, and I don't think I was going the right way. I wasn't enjoying golf. I just know I wasn't having fun playing golf.

It's a sport I've loved since I was little, and how I've been acting not just on the golf course, just outside, as well. It's been tough. It's been a couple of tough days, obviously, mentally and stuff, but yeah, I'm trying to just have fun out there.

I probably didn't have my best today. I didn't feel like I played as solid as yesterday. But I fought, I enjoyed it, and like I said, I think the Tuesday conversation I had with a special person changed my point of view of life and just helped me a lot. Not just this week -- even though if I was playing bad, just the same thing. Just try to go out there, and very thankful for what I'm doing. I think there's not a lot of people that can say they're playing professional golf at the highest level, so just trying to enjoy the moment. You never know what's going to happen next. I'm kind of seeing things like that, and it's obviously helping me a lot to just have fun out there again.

Q. You're currently tied second, likely playing with Abe tomorrow, your teammate, five behind. What's the mentality going in?

EUGENIO CHACARRA: Yeah, obviously Abe is playing tremendous golf. Five shots is a lot of shots, I'm not going to lie, but you never know. My strategy is going to be the same. I don't really care where I am on the leaderboard. I'm just going to try to have a lot of fun out there, just be thankful for what I'm doing, and whatever happens happens.

Obviously my goal is just to enjoy golf again like I've been doing these past days, and hopefully both Abe and me can have a good day and we can lift the trophy as a team at the end.

Q. How important would it be to start off early and maybe put some early pressure on Abe as opposed to letting him kind of get comfortable into the round?

EUGENIO CHACARRA: I mean, all I can do is just try to play the best golf, and whatever happens happens. I think obviously a fast start can change things a little, but at the end of the day, he has control. I don't have control of what he's doing. I just need to focus on myself, focus on what I'm doing these past days, kind of enjoy it out there, and like I said before, just being thankful where I am.

Not a lot of people can say they play professional golf on one of the best tours in the world.

Q. He was telling us earlier when he was in here about some of the games that you guys play within the team. Who generally wins those games? Do you beat him or does he beat you?

EUGENIO CHACARRA: I definitely don't. I feel like I always lose against those guys. They're pretty good. I think between Sergio and him, they win a lot of the times, and David and me, we're just young and trying to learn. They've been here for a long time, and they're obviously better players than us. Tomorrow you never know. It's just golf, and I bet we'll both have a lot of fun.

Q. The thing that you spoke about, the words that you had with your mentor on Tuesday, what was going through your head? If you don't want to tell his name and other things -- what was affecting you which was affecting your game?

EUGENIO CHACARRA: There's a lot of things, obviously, but one of them, I was just super stressed. I wasn't being the person I used to be. I wasn't being happy. Everything affected me more. I was being very negative, and I was just not enjoying life and golf anymore.

It wasn't my mentor, it was just a special person. I'm not really going to say a name or anything. She just helped me understand what I was doing wrong, what's been going on, and she just told me things I needed to hear and just changed my life of how to see things.

Just try to be thankful, like I'm privileged to be out here. It's what I've wanted since I was little. I've worked really hard to be out here, and I wasn't enjoying it. Just everything about what we talked and what I needed -- what I've been the last year, year and a half, and just change my perspective and change how I look at things, and I'm just trying to enjoy golf again. That's the thing I've loved since I was little, and it's been great.

I think it's changed my life completely. I made a bogey and I react the same way as I make a birdie, and every time I hit a bad shot it was like the end of the world. That's why your mind wasn't in the right place.

So yeah, it helped me a lot. It helped me to see things the right way, and just to become a better person. Like I said, I think it changed my life, and hopefully I can keep going in this path.

Q. Is this an important lesson do you think you have learned at this young age?

EUGENIO CHACARRA: For sure. At the end of the day, I can't see how I'm acting on the outside. Like I said, I'm young, 23 years old, and I have still a lot of things to learn. But I think that was one, like I said, it was a game changer. I think it was something I needed to hear, something that I was going the wrong way, and I was in a dark spot, and it just helped me to get out of it and just enjoy life again and be thankful where I am. If I play good, great; if I play bad, great, as well. I'm very healthy. I'm in a great spot, and it's just how life is, and it helped me a lot.

Q. Was there a particular flash point that led to that conversation on Tuesday, or was it a combination of things?

EUGENIO CHACARRA: I think it was a combination of things. Obviously something happened that's not very -- doesn't matter that much, but it wasn't a thing of just a month or two weeks or anything. It's been longer and longer, and it's gotten bigger and bigger and obviously exploded.

All I heard, it was what I needed to hear, and like I said before, I think it was a game changer for me, and I'm enjoying life and I'm enjoying golf again.