Eugenio Chacarra's challenge for the Race to Dubai title hit a snag in South Korea on Thursday, making a sluggish start in the Genesis Championship as a fourth horse entered the race

Eugenio Chacarra missed an opportunity to drive home his advantage over Rory McIlroy and Patrick Reed in the Race to Dubai, but Casey Jarvis threw a cat amongst the pigeons at the Genesis Championship.

Chacarra opened up a sizeable lead in the battle for the DP World Tour's season-long title with his victory at the DP World India Championship last week, but the former LIV Golf star made a sluggish start at Woo Jeong Hills Country Club in Cheonan, South Korea, on Thursday.

The Spaniard, a three-time winner on the DP World Tour this season, hopes to extend his lead with McIlroy and Reed not teeing it up this week, but he made a sluggish start in the cold of Chungnam, opening with a one-over-par 72 to fall seven shots off the lead of Jarvis.

Chacarra holds a share of 53rd place and, as it stands, he is projected to only add a negligible boost to his Race to Dubai points haul. The 26-year-old has work to do on Friday to ensure he makes the cut and does not let McIlroy and Reed off the hook.

McIlroy is chasing his eighth Race to Dubai title, which would equal the all-time record held by Colin Montgomerie. Read, meanwhile, held the lead for most of the season until Chacarra surged to the top of the rankings in India.

"It wasn't obviously the start that we wanted, but I played well," Chacarra said. "I mean, I didn't make a lot of putts. I had one three-putt; I hit a ball in the water. So overall, a lot of things to learn for tomorrow and the next couple of days. It's not playing easy. The pins are tucked, the greens are pretty firm.

"And obviously, this morning was really cold. The first five holes, the ball was going nowhere. And yeah, it was different from the conditions we normally play in, with the weather. But as I said, I didn't have my best day out there."

Chacarra held a lead of more than 500 points over Reed and almost 1,000 over McIlroy heading into the week, and he knows he needs a big cushion to take into next month's playoffs, given the prowess they have shown in the Middle East over the years.

"I could have probably skipped this week, but I feel like I like the course; I like Korea. I feel my game is good," Chacarra added. "And obviously, with Rory and Patrick not playing, I feel like if I have a good week, I get a little more points.

"All the help I can get against those two guys, I'll take. Two of the best players in the world. So it's just the first day. I don't know what's going to happen tomorrow. But like I said, my game feels good, and I'm ready to go out tomorrow."

Chacarra still holds the impetus despite his slow start in South Korea, but Jarvis is threatening to make it a four-horse race for the season-long title.

The South African is a two-time winner on the DP World Tour this season, and should he claim his third this week, the 23-year-old will leapfrog McIlroy and Reed and take second place in the standings.

"I felt really good out there," he said. "I hit a lot of good-quality iron shots, and I made some good putts. I've been working really hard on the greens, and to see it finally paying off a bit is really nice."