Eugenio Chacarra considers withdrawing despite leading the Spanish Open, ‘it’s not good’

Eugenio Chacarra is making a strong case to Luke Donald that he should play a key role at next year's Ryder Cup.

The Spaniard is enjoying an incredible season on the DP World Tour, and is in the mix with Patrick Reed and Rory McIlroy for the Race to Dubai title. The 26-year-old has won twice on the DP World Tour this year and looked set for a third win at his home open.

Chacarra leads the Spanish Open after 18 holes, shooting a 66 in the opening round. This was a statement round in a field featuring Sergio Garcia, Justin Rose, and several other European Ryder Cup greats.

But it seems his tournament could be cut short, as he considers withdrawing from the lead.

Eugenio Chacarra considering withdrawing from Spanish Open with injury

Chacarra entered the week with an injury, having broken his toe while getting a glass of water in the middle of the night last week, but he didn't want to miss his national open, so he's teeing off in Spain.

This injury didn't look to have affected his performance through 18 holes, but despite shooting the best round of the day to open his tournament, Chacarra said he's suffering so much that he's considering withdrawing from the lead.

He said to the DP World Tour, "It's not good, suffering a lot. It's been tough; not sure what is going to happen tomorrow. I need to take care of myself. Obviously, I got a good round, but how I feel physically is not great.

"It doesn't hurt when I'm swinging, so I can still make a score, but it's been really tough to walk.

"The pain I had on the last 12 holes, I don't know if it is worth it as I have a lot to play the next couple of weeks.

"I've got 24 hours to rest and see how it feels in the morning. I've got a lot to play for, I've got four weeks that are really important to me."

It would be a massive disappointment for Chacarra, of course, having to withdraw from the lead of his own national open, but this would also be a blow to the tournament.

Spain's superstar Jon Rahm already withdrew before the event as he expects the birth of his fourth child, and now the country's other hope of a home winner could also be ending his week early.

Hopefully he can grind his way through the pain this week, as it would be a huge shame to see Chacarra forced out of this event when he's playing so incredibly well.