Julien Guerrier holed a 16-foot par putt on the 18th to remain at 21 under and force a playoff with Jorge Campillo. The Frenchman then took down the home favorite with an 8-foot par on the record-tying ninth playoff hole to claim victory at the 2024 Estrella Damm N.A. Andalucía Masters.
“I’m feeling great and I can’t believe I made it,” said Guerrier, 39, who won for the first time on his 230th start.
“Because it’s been a really long time I’ve been waiting for it.
“We work really hard every week for that but we have to stay patient.
“I know Jorge Campillo is a great player but today it goes my way so I’m very happy.”
Guerrier and Campillo were either leading or sharing the lead in the opening three rounds and nothing changed on Sunday.
Starting the day deadlocked on 19 under, three early birdies from Guerrier gave the Frenchman a two-shot advantage through five holes, but back-to-back gains by Campillo at Nos. 6 and 7 evened things up again on 21 under.
Through the first nine hole, the two leaders played flawless with a combined seven birdies. But the pair struggled down the stretch, with each practically giving away the tournament at one point or another. Guerrier made bogey on 10 and double bogey on 13, while Campillo made bogeys on 12, 15 and a costly dropped shot on 18 to fall back into a playoff on 21 under.
The struggles continued into overtime for the duo as neither player made a single birdie on each of the nine holes, with the Frenchman finally winning with a ninth straight par.
“I can’t believe it because Jorge is a great player,” said Guerrier.
“I knew it would be really hard because his putting is amazing. Also my iron game was not in good shape today but my putting was really good.
“So I was trying to do my best and I’m really happy.
“On the last putt, I was thinking of my kids to give me the strength to hit it, so thanks to my family and my team.
“It’s a long wait and I’m very happy.”
Englishman Dan Brown (69) finished alone in third on 19 under, one clear of Jordan Smith (69) and Rasmus Hojgaard (67), who finished
joint-four.
Tournament headliner Jon Rahm finished one further back on 17 under after a final-round 67.
With their top-3 finishes, Guerrier, Campillo and Brown each secured a spot in the DP World Tour Playoffs.
2024 Andalucia Masters
Top 10 Leaders: Round 4
Pos-Player-To Par (Rd 4)
1. Julien Guerrier -21 (-2)
2. Jorge Campillo -21 (-2)
3. Dan Brown -19 (-3)
4. Rasmus Hojgaard -18 (-5)
4. Jordan Smith -18 (-3)
6. Jon Rahm -17 (-5)
7. Paul Waring -14 (-5)
7. Thorbjorn Olesen -14 (-5)
7. Romain Langasque -14 (-4)
7. Fabrizio Zanotti -14 (-3)
7. Jacques Kruyswijk -14 (-3)
European tour communications press release and email used to compile recap.
