Chacarra, the prodigy of Spanish golf, after joining LIV Golf: "I can play with top professionals and be a millionaire"

• News The bomb decision of Chacarra;

  he stops being an amateur to sign for LIV Golf

Already packing his bags for Portland,

has given the big surprise by announcing his signing for the LIV Golf.

Before leaving for his first commitment to the Saudi league, the Spanish golfer reveals to EL MUNDO the keys to his decision.

When did the first contact with LIV Golf arise? It was all very fast.

Until Tuesday I didn't know anything, I was just training and trying to recover from the hip injury to get to the Palmer Cup. On Tuesday they contact me and make me a first offer and, like everything in life, I send an upward counteroffer and I'm lucky they accept it.

Once they accept it, I sit down with my team to analyze everything and we see the pros and cons.

And the truth is that we only saw positive things, there were very few drawbacks. One of them is that he will not be able to advance in the world ranking or enter majors? It is as if I stayed two more years as an amateur, I would not be in the world ranking, I would have to start from scratch.

Golf is a long-term career, I am 22 years old and at 25 years old my first contract with LIV will end,

I don't know what will happen, but if I don't renew, I could go to PGA Tour school and compete to win majors, which has been my dream since I was little.

At the moment this year I have 7 tournaments and next year 14, the tournaments are without a cut and if you stay the last one it's 120,000 dollars.

I'm also going to gain a lot of experience competing against very good players.

It is a tour that is going to grow, every time better players are added and in two or three years many things can happen. Have you signed two or three years? I have signed two full years and to have a third year I would have to finish among the 32 best of 48 ranked players.

I see it quite feasible, although at the moment I have two years insured, which is 21 tournaments.

If I didn't get it, I could go to the classification schools of the different circuits with life more or less solved.

Before making the decision, did you talk to anyone on the PGA Tour? No, I haven't talked to them, I've never been a member or anything, I'm just another college player.

The difference is that when I finish college, instead of starting on the PGA Tour in Canada or Latin America like so many players do, I start on the LIV.

They can't do anything to me, they make it very clear in the communications, I have never been a member of any circuit, I have never won a single euro from any tour.

I start like anyone could start and then I can always go to school.

In two years many things can happen and who knows if the LIV can grow a lot. Aren't you afraid that they could block you from entering the PGA Tour in the future? That's an illegal thing, they can't do it, I didn't have any contract.

They will be able to do that with players who have been on the tour, who have benefited from it.

I have not benefited from that tour at all.

The only thing I've done is quit the PGA Tour University which could have gotten me some invites.

Obviously, I know they're not going to give me invitations like they've done so far, but I could very well earn my place at the school. How did they make their decision at Oklahoma State? They've been lovely at Oklahoma State.

As soon as I told them the figures and the offer, my coach put himself in my position and told me that the decision was correct.

He loves me as if I were his son, I'm going to live there a lot and they support me in everything.

I know what it is to work hard, I trust my team and this is the decision we have made.

When you make a decision in life, there will always be people who take it wrong, it's part of life.

I think I'm going to get a lot of experience in two or three years, I'm going to have a great life and I'm going to improve to get to the PGA Tour in a few years.

Or who knows if the LIV Tour becomes the new PGA Tour. Do you understand the position of other already established players who defend the PGA Tour?

or

I wouldn't leave either, they have a solved life and the card for life, I understand.

But in my situation... Now they give me the opportunity to play two or three years with top professionals and be a millionaire.

If any person put these figures on the table, I would not hesitate.

I respect criticism, there are envious people and people who like to give it a go, I'm not worried, I'm not aware of the networks, I just want to work and improve. Is there talk of a contract of between 10-15 million dollars in fixed for two or three years, plus the prizes I win in each tournament? These are very high figures, I am not going to specify them, but I can assure you that they are very high figures and it is a radical change of life for me and my future family. ¿ Before the offer arrived, how did you see LIV? The more competition, the better for everyone.

It's hard for a PGA Tour player to have a bad year and not have cuts and lose money and a Real Madrid player who doesn't play a single minute has a guaranteed fortune.

In the end we are all athletes and I am really looking forward to starting this new stage.

No door is closed to me, playing in the schools of the different circuits with life settled is very different from playing them knowing that everything is at stake. Did you speak with LIV players to make the decision? With several and they spoke wonders to me.

A

playing in the schools of the different circuits with life resolved is very different from playing them knowing that everything is at stake. Did you speak with LIV players to make the decision? With several and they spoke wonders to me.

A

playing in the schools of the different circuits with life resolved is very different from playing them knowing that everything is at stake. Did you speak with LIV players to make the decision? With several and they spoke wonders to me.

A

I love him very much and obviously I have asked him many questions.

I hope I can be on his team at LIV, I still don't know which team I'll be on, but he's been my role model since he was little. And with

?Greg Norman was in all the communications but I have not spoken with many people, they spoke with my manager.

I am delighted with the great offer and looking forward to meeting you all in Portland next week.

I'm not 100%, in fact today is the first day I'm going to play on the course after 14 days, but this Sunday I'll leave for Portland and play. Do you plan to combine LIV with the European Tour? Finance and Psychology, I have six subjects left and I hope to finish it in December.

From then on we will see the options.

The European Tour may be one, but I am now focused on the LIV, they are the ones who have bet on me and have given me crazy amounts. How do you deal with the criticism that speaks of the strategy of these tournaments as whitewashing of the Saudi regime? And your money? I'm anti-dramas.

The athletes who want to work hard and have our record sometimes do not receive enough money.

They are lucky enough to have a lot of money and they want to create a tour, it is growing every day: they started with five names and we are already at 18. People play golf to have titles, but they also have families and they have to eat.

I have won this contract with an amateur record that does not have many people.

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