Chacarra wins Italian Open for 2nd straight European tour title and a place in British Open

FIANO, Italy (AP) — Eugenio Chacarra captured a second straight title on the European tour by winning the Italian Open by five shots on Sunday.

The 26-year-old Spaniard got an extra reward — a spot in the British Open taking place next month at Royal Birkdale. It will be his debut in golf’s oldest major.

“I’m very excited. I’ve never played there,” Chacarra said. “I’ve always dreamed of playing it and been watching on TV since I was little.

“Excited to be out there, now it’s time to celebrate and then we can focus on that.”

Chacarra shot 7-under 64 and finished on 24-under par for the week. Matt Wallace (67) was alone in second place, a shot ahead of Joaquín Niemann.

“I’m feeling great, winning’s always fun but that’s what we work for. I’m very proud of myself,” Chacarra said. “It was a good fight, two world-class players — probably two of the best players in the world.

“That’s what I’ve been dreaming of since I was little, to play against those kind of players down the stretch and I’m very proud of how I played and how I managed myself today … I want to be one of the best players in professional golf so that’s what we’re working for.”

Chacarra won the KLM Open at the start of June.

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AP golf: https://apnews.com/hub/golf