Julien Guerrier had been waiting 230 starts for his moment in the sun, and it finally arrived at the 2024 Estrella Damm N.A. Andalucía Masters.
And what a way to do it—a marathon nine-hole play-off under the sweltering Spanish sky at Real Club de Golf Sotogrande.
The crowds were treated to a thrilling battle as Guerrier squared off with Spain’s Jorge Campillo, trading blows in a duel that felt more like an endurance race than a golf tournament.
Both men finished at 21 under par after 72 regulation holes, but Guerrier was having none of it when he nailed a clutch 16-foot par putt on the 18th to force a play-off. The stage was set.
Campillo, playing on home soil with the crowd in his corner, wasn’t going down without a fight.
He knocked in a vital putt from range for par on the first play-off hole to keep the contest alive.
But the turning point came at the third extra hole when Campillo faced a seven-foot birdie putt to seal the win.
The crowd held their breath as he lined it up—but the ball drifted just wide, and suddenly, we were back to square one.
Both players battled on, halving the fourth, fifth, and sixth extra holes in pars. Guerrier’s chip from the rough lipped out on the seventh extra hole in what could’ve been a heartbreaker.
But finally, on the ninth extra hole, Guerrier calmly sank an eight-foot par putt to secure the trophy.
As the Frenchman walked off the green with his first DP World Tour title, the sense of relief was palpable.
“The Frenchman 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.”
Guerrier’s victory also comes with a significant reward—he started the week ranked 81st on the Race to Dubai Rankings in Partnership with Rolex but has now climbed a whopping 63 places into 18th. He’s earned himself a ticket to the DP World Tour Championship next month, where the season’s best will duke it out.
Julien Guerrier: 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. My game wasn’t in the best shape but my putting was very good and I fought to do my best.
Over the last 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.
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.
Englishman Daniel Brown had a solid week, finishing in third at 19 under par, while Jordan Smith and Denmark’s Rasmus Højgaard were a shot further back in fourth.
Two-time Major champion Jon Rahm carded a final round of 67 to finish solo sixth on 17 under par.
So, after a battle of attrition in Andalucía, Guerrier finally gets his moment in the sun, leaving fans with a tournament finish they’ll be talking about for years.
