Rory McIlroy praises former LIV stars Eugenio Chacarra and Patrick Reed as they battle for the Race to Dubai title at the DP World Tour playoffs

Rory McIlroy believes former LIV Golf star Eugenio Chacarra has the "right attitude about how he does things," and he’s also looking forward to competing against Patrick Reed.

As the world’s No. 2-ranked amateur out of Oklahoma State, Chacarra initially targeted the PGA Tour. In 2022, he became one of the earliest players to pivot to LIV Golf, accepting a signing bonus to compete for Sergio Garcia’s Fireballs GC.

Although the ball-striking standout achieved early success on the circuit, injuries eventually slowed him down. Over 34 starts on LIV, Chacarra accumulated $16 million in earnings. Following the non-renewal of his contract at the end of the 2024 season, he opted against seeking a return through LIV Q School.

“I see what it’s like to win on the PGA Tour and how your life changes,” Chacarra told Flushing It after he left LIV. “How you get major access and ranking points. On LIV, nothing changes; there is only money. It doesn’t matter if you finish 30th or first, only money. I’m not a guy who wants more money. What will change my life is playing in Hawaii and qualifying for the majors, qualifying for the Masters, the Ryder Cup.”

Reed left the former Saudi-backed circuit ahead of the 2026 season, and he is looking toward a return to the PGA Tour come next year.

McIlroy, Chacarra, and Reed are paired together for the start of the DP World Tour playoffs, and the world No. 2 is looking forward to competing alongside the two.

“He seems to excel on difficult golf courses,” said McIlroy on Chacarra. “He's got a good attitude and the right attitude about how he does things. It looks like he's quite a feel player. Sort of hits a lot of different shots. But I'm looking forward to playing with him here over the next couple of days.”

The two have built their way back to the American circuit through the DP World Tour, and all three players are neck-and-neck for the Race to Dubai title.

“I think you look at Eugenio and Patrick as former LIV players but coming back and going through the process of trying to build their way back through the game and through this tour, and ultimately both of them are going to get a PGA Tour card again next year,” said McIlroy. “I have a lot of respect for them with the way that they have done it. Eugenio has been a great college player”

McIlroy is looking to match Colin Montgomerie's eight Race to Dubai titles this year, but he sits just behind Chacarra and Reed on the leaderboard.

“He's had a phenomenal year,” said McIlroy, referring to first-place holder Chacarra.

“I'm sure he's very high on confidence at the minute, too. It will be interesting. Patrick obviously in there as well. I need a good week this week, and we're going to be playing alongside each other first two days. So we are going to be keeping an eye on each other and seeing how each other is doing, but I'm excited for that.”