At the Andalucia Masters, French golfer Julien Guerrier made a promising start with the possibility of achieving the second 59 in the history of DP World Tour. He, however, ended up with an impressive opening round of 62. Guerrier reached the halfway point at Sotogrande with only 29 strokes while also claiming birdies on the 10th and 11th holes, bringing him to nine under par. Unfortunately, he did not benefit on the 12th and 14th holes which diminished his chances of equalling Oliver Fisher’s 2018 record at the Portugal Masters.
Despite missing out on achieving a 59, Guerrier finished the day with a lead of one shot at 10 under par, leaving Dan Brown of England and Spain’s Jorge Campillo trailing with a single stroke.
In his first round of 63, Dan Brown managed to cover the back nine in just 29 strokes by making five birdies along with an eagle. He said his beginnings were somewhat slow but his game improved with an eagle on the sixth hole, and he successfully putted his way to success with a chip-in on the 16th in the last few holes.
Meanwhile, Tom McKibbin from Northern Ireland is five shots behind the lead with an opening round of 67. With high hopes of earning one of the 10 PGA Tour cards, he continues to perform well, ranking eighth on the DP World Tour pathway list. Jon Rahm, the pre-tournament favourite is eight shots away from the lead. His struggle was evident as he had to birdie three out of his last five holes for a round score of 70.
Rahm conveyed, “My performance wasn’t at its peak today. Despite making a good start with the tee, I stumbled with my iron shots. This slip-up, combined with the tricky wind conditions, led to my defeat today.
“Quite early in the game, I became aware of my faltering swing and acknowledged the struggle awaiting me. But the enthusiastic crowd was a boon, encouraging me back into focus. A missed putt on the fourth hole, from less than a metre, was faced with supportive cheers, helping me finish the day on a high note.
“The positive element of today’s match was the quality of golf I played in the closing five holes. I created some opportunities and posted a score, not the best, but something to work on. I stay hopeful of making improvements as the week progresses.”