Frenchman Julien Guerrier and Spaniard Jorge Campillo played a ton of extra—and stressful—golf on Sunday in Andalucía.
After beginning the day tied at 19-under par, both players carded 2-under 70s to finish their 72 holes knotted at 21-under. But their final rounds were anything but stable.
Both players traded the lead on multiple occasions. They also shared plenty of nerves—and for good reason. After making his DP World Tour debut in 2005, Guerrier has spent nearly two decades trying to break through on the biggest tour in Europe—229 starts to be exact. Campillo, meanwhile, eyed his fourth such title and looked like he would do so with four holes to play. He held a two-shot advantage at that point.
But two late bogies from the Spaniard on the 15th and 18th holes forced extra holes, which dragged on for nearly two hours. Campillo and Guerrier could not get one another to falter, making eight straight pars on the par-4 18th five times and the par-3 17th three. Then, on the ninth playoff hole, the 470-yard 18th, Campillo finally blinked. He hooked his drive left while Guerrier found the fairway, opening the door for the Frenchman to pounce.
Campillo then hit his approach shot into the bunker short and left of the green, leaving himself with little green to work with. A bogey loomed, and Campillo wound up making a five. Guerrier, meanwhile, flared his second shot long and right of the putting surface, but it settled just over the back fringe. That left him with a routine up-and-down, but the Frenchman made it anything but.
He hit his chip shot about seven feet past the cup, setting up a nervy par-stroke for the win. Guerrier then found the bottom of the cup, thus securing the biggest win of his lengthy pro career.
“I’m feeling great, and I can’t believe I made it. Because it’s been a really long time I’ve been waiting for it,” Guerrier said after.
“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 went my way, so I’m very happy.”
As for who came to mind when he stood over his winning putt?
“I was thinking of my kids, and they gave me the strength to get over the line. It’s been a long wait, and I’m very emotional right now. I have to thank them for supporting me throughout my career,” Guerrier said.
“French golf is very good right now, and seeing the other guys win out here gave me so much belief that my time would come and I could win. It still hasn’t sunk in, and I will go back home and spend some time with my family to celebrate.”
Jack Milko is a golf staff writer for SB Nation’s Playing Through. Be sure to check out @_PlayingThrough for more golf coverage. You can follow him on Twitter @jack_milko as well.
