The Round Table: A Cinderella story, a welcome mat and Kisner out of his league

Each week, we ask our panel of writers, PGA members and golf industry experts to weigh in with their views on the hot topics of the day.

Eugenio Chacarra won the DP World India Championship on Sunday to leapfrog over Patrick Reed and take the lead in the Race to Dubai. For those not familiar with the Spaniard, he was a top ranked college player who elected to go straight to LIV Golf. Early on he pocketed lots of money but then lost his card and eventually played his way onto the DP World Tour. Now he’s in position to win the Race to Dubai, only the third Spaniard to do so along with Seve Ballesteros and Jon Rahm, and maybe more importantly earn a spot on the PGA Tour for 2027. There’s no official award for the Cinderella Player of the Year but clearly Chacarra should be in the running. What do you think?

Jim Deeks, Fairways Magazine (@jimdeeks): I can think of two other players I’d nominate above Chacarra for Cinderella Player of the Year:  Aaron Rai and Jackson Koivun, giving the nod to Koivun since Rai’s been around a little longer.  Great concept, by the way!  And very appropriate for this pumpkin time of year.

Craig Loughry, Golf Ontario (@craigloughry): Absolutely. Chacarra’s journey has all the ingredients of a Cinderella story. He took the LIV shortcut, earned significant money early, then faced the reality of losing his status and having to rebuild his career the hard way. Many players would have faded away, but he went back to competing, earned his place on the DP World Tour, and is now contending for the Race to Dubai. His resilience and perseverance make him one of the comeback stories of this year.

Michael Schurman, Master Professional / Hall of Fame Member, PGA of Canada: The LIV money he won will help relax his putting stroke. This entire mess is still on Monahan not taking Greg Norman’s phone call years ago. As a result, professional golf tours around the world have been affected and it will take some time before things become normal. Chacarra is finding his way the old-fashioned way; he’s earning it one week at a time.

TJ Rule, Golf Away Tours (@GolfAWayTJ): His name has been popping up so regularly lately, it’s hard to miss him when checking leaderboards, but I really hadn’t seen him in action at all until watching a bit of the event in India.  He has an unorthodox game, which is maybe appropriate for a great Spaniard, following in the footsteps of Seve and Jose Maria and others.  You can’t blame him for taking the money right out of school and have to give him props for making his way to this level so quickly after fading from the LIV crowd.  It’ll be interesting to see him on the PGA Tour next year.

Hal Quinn, Freelance Writer, Vancouver: Unlike Cinderella, this guy ain’t lacking for love, even if it’s the self-directed variety. Anyway, hope it all doesn’t turn into a pumpkin, and he stays ahead of Reed and makes the Ryder team. Prefer the stories of the guys who got their cards on the Korn Ferry and look forward to some tear jerkers in the Fall Finish.

Peter Mumford, Fairways Magazine: He’s not exactly a Caddyshack knock off: “Cinderella story. Out of nowhere. A former greenskeeper.” He was a college all-star, and big things were expected of him. It was a blow to the PGA Tour when he went to LIV. So, four years out of sight, out of mind. Now he’s back in the spotlight and starting to realize his potential. Might be more Prodigal Son than Cinderella but still a great story.

The PGA Tour has made it clear that former LIV players must be a year removed from LIV before they can be eligible to play the PGA Tour. Now that the DP World Tour has ended its policy of allowing players to play both LIV and the DP World Tour, should they adopt a similar policy? Some players are arguing for stiff fines and penalties for any returning players, while others see the marketing value of having them in the field as soon as possible. What are your thoughts?

Deeks: My thoughts haven’t changed in five years.  If those greedy turncoats want to come back to the PGA Tour, make ’em qualify through Q-School, AND pay a hefty fine for having given up their PGA Tour memberships.  I’m not sure many of them have much “marketing appeal” anymore, anyway.  Will I be more likely to watch a PGA Tour event because Cam Smith or Dustin Johnson is in the field next year, or 2028.  Not bloody likely.

Loughry: A measured approach is probably best rather than a hard-line one. A one-year waiting period, similar to the PGA Tour’s policy, provides consistency and respects the players who remained loyal to the DP World Tour. Beyond that, excessive fines or penalties just feel counterproductive. If a player has met the eligibility requirements and wants to return, the focus should be on strengthening fields and growing fan interest (especially the DP World Tour, who need more talent/deeper fields and name draws). Accountability matters, but so does giving fans a chance to see the best players.

Schurman: ASAP. What right has the DP Tour or the PGA Tour to fine these players. Players in any other sport accept Free Agency all the time and often return to their original team without a fine. The difference here is the thought that L1V money is blood money. Maybe it is but the PGA Tour doesn’t seem to mind accepting that same money in fines. The PGA Tour’s branding has always supported fielding the best players. They haven’t done that for quite a few years. Shouldn’t each victory carry an asterisk?

Rule: I can honestly see both sides of the argument, but I stand firmly in the belief that they should pay the price for chasing the money and thus need to face stiff penalties in order to return to either of the top two tours.  They have survived without those players the last few years and will do so in the short term.  The top guys will no doubt get their opportunities and make their way back sooner than later, and it will be fun watching them struggle to get there.

Quinn: Done and done. Play your way back to the Tour. Simple, like the game itself, as an olde pro once told me: Hit the fairway, hit the green, sink the putt. Simple. That’s all the turncoats have to do.

Mumford: Tough call for the DP World Tour. Certainly, there are players that won’t roll out the welcome mat, but the Tour needs all the help they can get. A few marquee names wouldn’t hurt. If LIV finally dies, Bryson DeChambeau, Dustin Johnson, Tyrrell Hatton, Cam Smith and Joaquin Niemann will all be looking for a place to play while they serve out their one-year suspension from the PGA Tour. A year in Europe would be a boon to the Tour, the fans and its players.

NBC’s lead golf analyst Kevin Kisner made some harsh comments on a podcast about Rory McIlroy playing in India for the money rather than Rory’s stated objective of using his status to help grow the game in countries where golf is not very strong. Appearance fees have been around a long time and have often been used to lure top players to strengthen a field and stimulate fan interest. Is Kisner offside with his comments? 

Deeks: Yup.  Sounds petty and envious of Kisner, in my view.  And does Kisner really think that a few hundred thousand was all that Rory was after, when the guy’s worth, what, half a billion dollars?  I’m not saying Rory is 100% altruistic, but I do believe he’s right when he says there’s huge growth potential for golf in India (and Asia), and his presence there can help in marketing and awareness. Pick a better target, Kis.

Loughry: I think Kisner is a little offside. Two things can be true at once: Rory can be compensated well for an appearance and still genuinely want to help grow the game in emerging golf markets. Appearance fees have been part of professional golf for decades and have helped tournaments attract top players, sponsors, media attention, and some new fans. Unless Kisner has direct knowledge of Rory’s motivations, questioning them publicly feels speculative. But that’s Kisner for you.

Schurman: If Kisner had Rory’s record, he’d be accepting the same appearance money. Rory is an extremely giving person and great role model. He can only play so much golf in a year. He has to compete in events, make sponsor appearances, play, as he puts it “in places to grow the game” and find time for his family. Critics like Kisner are trying to make a name for themselves. Let him chew tobacco somewhere else.

Rule: I think it was uncalled for.  Everyone knows that top players get appearance fees, and they get them for tournaments all over the world, so to cherry pick this one isn’t fair.  Sure it makes the decision easier for a player like Rory to attend the event, but I think Rory has his heart in the right place wanting to grow the game, so I don’t believe it’s all about the money for him.  At least that’s what I want to believe!  And Kisner didn’t need to bring that into question with his comments.

Quinn: Correct me if I’m wrong, but is this not the first time in Kiz’s career that he’s been quoted? He must be chuffed to be mentioned in the same sentence as Rory! Good on ya, Kiz. He also singularly has come up with the $10 M appearance fee. Great week for him. Not surprisingly, Rory handled it well.

Mumford: Kisner is in the twilight of a mediocre career as a golfer and a broadcaster. Picking a fight with one of the game’s stars is more about elevating his own image than breaking a big story. This is a nothing-burger. Nuff said.