After putting in two eagles in a matter of three holes, France’s Julien Guerrier managed to tie with leading contender Jorge Campillo, both scoring 19 under, in the gripping third round of the Andalucia Masters with a remarkable 63. Guerrier had already achieved five birdies in his initial 10 holes, further demonstrating his skill with an exceptional second at the par-five 12th and another amazing shot at the extensive 14th, before he successfully converted both putts.
Spain’s Campillo stayed free of any bogeys throughout the week, notching up four birdies in his 68. Meanwhile, England’s duo, Jordan Smith and Dan Brown, both secured their spots in third and fourth place, each with rounds of 67 in Sotogrande. Tom McKibbin from Northern Ireland moved onto seven under and shared the 25th place, lagging behind the top contenders by 12 strokes with his three-under 69.
Post his round, Guerrier credited his impressive score to his short game, which included two magnificent shots at the par-fives, also attributing a small part to good fortune. Campillo’s birdies came at the second, fourth, and seventh as he focused on keeping his halfway lead, though he salvaged his par at the ninth after a stray drive resulted in his ball landing amongst trees.
Not stopping there, Guerrier’s streak of gains continued with a 32-foot putt at the short fourth followed by additional birdies at the fifth and tenth, eventually securing a joint lead. In contrast to Guerrier’s stunning play, Campillo’s 12th tap-in birdie marked his back-nine achievements, even though he managed to hit every green in regulation on the back-nine.
Post-game, Campillo expressed his satisfaction with his performance, describing his game as fairly solid and emphasising his strike accuracy. Despite making some excellent shots, he was unable to make the putts though he felt they were of great quality. Looking forward to the next day, he hoped to make some of the putts.
The pressure is on double Major winner, Jon Rahm as he was left trailing seven shots after scoring a 68, setting him up for a challenging Sunday at the Andalucia Masters.