Julien Guerrier wins nine-hole play-off in Andalucía to claim first title

The huge crowds at Real Club de Golf Sotogrande were treated to a thrilling battle between home favourite Campillo and Frenchman Guerrier on Sunday, with the lead changing hands throughout the afternoon before a mammoth play-off was required to break the deadlock after Guerrier holed his clutch 16-foot par putt on the 18th to join his playing partner at 21 under par following 72 holes.

And it was Guerrier who came out on top at the ninth extra hole, nervelessly holing from eight feet to enter the winner’s circle for the first time on his 230th start.

He said: “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.

“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.”

The lead had flip-flopped between Guerrier and Campillo several times throughout the week and the same was true during an enthralling final round.

Starting the day locked together at the summit on 19 under, three early birdies from Guerrier saw him open up a two-shot lead after five holes before back-to-back gains from Campillo at the sixth and seventh hauled him level once more.

A big turning point came on the tenth, with Campillo benefiting from a two-shot swing after Guerrier’s tee-shot almost went out of bounds.

After avoiding that fate by the narrowest of margins, Guerrier instead played his second shot from the top of a wall, knocking it a short distance before doing well to salvage a bogey.

Campillo drained his birdie effort from 23 feet at the same hole to go two clear at the top of the leaderboard.

But there were many more twists and turns still to come.

Guerrier bounced back with a seven-foot birdie on the 11th to trim the deficit to a single shot before Campillo dunked his approach shot at the 12th into the water.

The Frenchman, meanwhile, found the green in two and had an outside eagle chance.

Guerrier had to settle for a close-range birdie but, with playing partner Campillo carding his first bogey of the week, his consolation prize was a two-shot swing and a one-stroke lead at the summit.

But the momentum, and indeed the lead, went back Campillo’s way with another two-shot swing on the par-three 13th as Guerrier missed the green and had to chip twice from the rough before surrendering a double bogey to slip one shot behind his Spanish competitor.

And with Campillo holing his birdie putt from around four feet at the long 14th, he moved two in front of Guerrier.

The lead returned to a single shot as Campillo failed to get up and down for par on the 15th, while Guerrier did brilliantly to save par.

Guerrier’s birdie putt from the bank around the 16th green pulled up agonisingly short as Campillo remained out in front, while they both holed important par putts on the 17th.

Leading by one on the 18th tee, Campillo bogeyed the last to open the door for Guerrier, and the Frenchman walked right through it, showing great guts to hole his must-make putt and take it to a play-off.

It was Campillo’s turn to hole a vital putt at the first play-off hole as he knocked in from range for par to keep the competition alive.

And after both players parred the second extra hole, Campillo had a seven-foot birdie putt to win at the third play-off hole but sent it just wide.

The fourth, fifth and sixth extra holes were halved in pars, before Guerrier’s chip from the rough lipped out on the seventh play-off hole.

The contest was finally settled on extra hole number nine as Guerrier slotted in his par putt to secure the trophy.