Former amateur golf sensation Eugenio Lopez-Chacarra left college to join LIV Golf, and is now a multi-millionaire after his first professional win in Thailand.
Lopez-Chacarra rose to No.2 in the World Amateur Golf Rankings before ditching his final year at Oklahoma State University to join Greg Norman's LIV rebel series in June. And the Spaniard struck a closing round of 69 to win the LIV Golf Invitational in Bangkok, holding off Patrick Reed by three shots at Stonehill.
Lopez-Chacarra's decision to leave college and join the Saudi-backed circuit raised eyebrows, given he looked destined to compete on the PGA Tour given his prolific amateur career.
The 22-year-old may now never get the chance to compete on the PGA Tour, but his bold move has proved extremely lucrative as he earned the top prize of $4 million (£3.6 million) with his maiden professional triumph.
Lopez-Chacarra lit up the LIV series with a superb wire-to-wire win after failing to finish inside the top 20 in his four previous 48-man events. And he will prove a hugely popular winner with LIV boss Greg Norman amid accusations that most of the players that have defected to his rebel series are past their best.
The final round in Bangkok was delayed by severe weather, but that did not deter Lopez-Chacarra, who beat former Masters champion Reed and English duo Paul Casey and Richard Bland to the title.
"Obviously I think I played great golf. I hit the ball great all week," the delighted Lopez-Chacarra said.
"I had two bogeys in 54 holes and my goal was to have zero. But the course is in great condition so you can go low, but also I think I played really good. More birdies than bogeys. That will make it."
Lopez-Chacarra's extraordinary earnings did not stop with his individual prize, as his Fireballs GC team, including Sergio Garcia, Abraham Ancer and Carlos Ortiz, won the separate team event for a share of $3 million (£2.7 million).
While victory was sweet for Lopez-Chacarra, LIV's latest event was played under a backdrop of anger after the Official Golf World Ranking body (OGWR) denied their players the chance to earn ranking points in Thailand.
LIV's pursuit of world ranking points is a key battleground in golf's ongoing civil war as CEO Norman desperately tries to further validate his tour by accessing ranking status.
Players such as Lopez-Chacarra will not be able to qualify for major championships through the official ranking system if LIV are not granted access by OGWR voting members.
Big-name stars such as Bryson DeChambeau and Brooks Koepka would also eventually fail to qualify for the four most prestigious events as they continue to slide down the rankings.
Norman believed LIV had found a loophole in achieving ranking points for this weekend's event in Thailand after a 'strategic alliance' was formed with the little-known MENA Tour.
But OGWR, comprising of representatives from all four majors plus the PGA and DP World Tour's, blocked LIV's immediate application. The body are now reviewing the incorporation of the rebel series into the Middle East and North Africa based feeder tour.
