Julien Guerrier catches Jorge Campillo on moving day – article

Julien Guerrier scored two eagles in three holes as his brilliant 63 caught Jorge Campillo at the top of the Estrella Damm NA Andalucía Masters leaderboard.

Frenchman Guerrier had already made five birdies in his first ten holes before hitting a sensational second shot to four feet on the par-five 12th and another to nine feet on the long 14th.

By converting both putts, Guerrier caught Campillo, who began the day with a four-shot lead. Both players went into the final round at 19 under par at the Real Club de Golf Sotogrande.

The Spaniard Campillo made four birdies in his game of 68 and remained bogey-free throughout the week. England’s Dan Brown and Jordan Smith finished third and fourth at 16 and 15 under respectively after being tied with rounds of 67.

Guerrier said after his round: “The key is the short game – that’s where I got my score.” I hit two great shots on the par fives and also had a bit of luck; I didn’t play exactly there, but it ended well.

“It’s not a sprint tournament, it’s a marathon, so I just try to enjoy every moment.

“I just try to play my game and stay focused.”

Campillo made birdies on the second, fourth and seventh spots and set about maintaining his lead halfway through more perfect conditions in southern Spain.

The 38-year-old made an excellent par save on the ninth after a wayward drive landed between trees and he could only push his approach into the back bunker.

Guerrier completed a hat trick of wins with a 32-foot putt on the short fourth and added more wins on the fifth and 10th before grabbing a share of the lead with his behind-the-scenes fireworks.

In contrast, a tap-in birdie on the 12th was all Campillo had to show for his back-nine attempts, despite some excellent approach shots as he found 17 of 18 greens in regulation position.

Campillo said: “I played pretty solid – I hit all the other greens except nine, so it was stress-free.”

“I hit some great shots, but I couldn’t make the putts. I felt like I was making some great putts, so I’m hoping I can make some of those tomorrow.

“I felt good all day. I was pretty quiet all day. I hit it pretty well, so that helped too – so I’ll try to do the same tomorrow.

“It’s always great to win in your home country. The weather is great this year and this golf course is beautiful so I will try to win.”