The Punter's De-brief: Marathon man, Jullien Guerrier, secures record-equalling maiden victory

• Record-equalling nine-hole playoff required in Spain

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Pre-event 160.0159/1 chance, Julien Guerrier, and Matt Cooper's 50/151.00 each-way fancy, Jorge Campillo, began the fourth and final round of the Andalucia Masters tied for the lead and several twists and turns, the pair were still tied after 72 holes.

Guerrier was matched at as low as 1.548/15 when he led by two after he'd played his first five holes in three-under-par, but Campillo responded with back-to-back birdies at six and seven and after a two-shot swing at the 10^th it was the Spaniard's turn to lead by two.

Guerrier responded to his dropped shot at ten in brilliant style with back-to-back birdies of his own at 11 and 12 and he was back in front after Campillo tapped in for a bogey six at 12, after he'd found water with his approach shot, but he didn't lead for long.

The Frenchman hit an awful tee-shot on the par three 13^th which led to a double-bogey five and Campillo was back in front again.

Guerrier looked in big trouble and after a duffed bunker shot at the par five 14^th led to a par at what was the easiest hole on the course, he was back to trailing by two.

Dan Brown had birdied four in-a-row from the 11^th to get to within three of Campillo but with a two-shot lead and just four holes to play, the Spaniard looked far and away the most likely winner, and he was matched at just 1.171/6 when it looked like Guerrier was going to drop another shot at 15.

Both men missed the green with their approach shots but after the Frenchman had hit his chip to 12 feet, Campillo hit a poor shot that ran through the green.

The Spaniard left his par saving putt from the fringe short and Guerrier holed his to half the deficit.

Brown's challenge ended with a bogey at 16 and after a pair of pars by the front two at 16 and 17, Campillo still led by a stroke with just the 72^nd hole to negotiate.

Both men missed the green at 18 and Campillo hit a low of just 1.111/9 after Guerrier had hit his third shot to 15 feet.

Campillo was in the bunker behind the green but he was odds-on to get up-and-down for a par four and it really did look like a done deal but the long odds-on backers were in for a shock.

Campillo's bunker shot didn't make the green and having played his first 65 holes without a dropped shot, the Spaniard was all set to make his third bogey in seven holes.

It still looked like his 21-under-par score might be enough but up stepped the Frenchman to bravely hole his par save.

Guerrier had nearly gone in the water at both 16 and 17 and he hadn't played well down the stretch, but it looked like being his day at the first extra hole.

With Campillo needing to hole a lengthy par save, the Frenchman was matched at just 1.081/12 when he had a chance to birdie the hole, but it was Campillo's turn to drain a long putt to stay alive and we were back to the 18^th tee for playoff hole number two.

Guerrier again looked the most likely winner but a great up-and-down by Campillo to save par extend the event further and he then had a fabulous chance to win after a brilliant second shot at the third extra hole.

Campillo gave himself about five feet for birdie and the win but hit a weak putt that drippled its way past the hole and we off to the par three 17^th for the fourth playoff hole.

Alternating between holes 17 and 18, the par made matching pars a further five times before the deadlock was finally broken at the ninth time of asking when Campillo hit a poor drive.

That led to a bogey five and the Frenchman sealed the deal with a par save from almost the exact same spot that Campillo had missed for birdie at the third extra hole.

In 2005, Julien Guerrier made his debut on the DP World Tour...

19 years later, he defeats Jorge Campillo in a nine hole play-off to claim his first title! #EDAM2024 pic.twitter.com/FUf9DDR1m8

-- DP World Tour (@DPWorldTour) October 20, 2024

Tying the record for the longest playoff on the DP World Tour, it was the third time an event had gone as far as nine holes.

Having first played on the DP World Tour way back in 2005, and having played 229 events previously without success, the 39-year-old was winning for the first time, and it will be interesting to see if he can kick on like his fellow countryman, Matthieu Pavon...

Can Guerrier emulate Pavon?

This time last year, longstanding DP World Tour maiden, Mattieu Pavon, won the Open de Espana, and it was a watershed win for the Frenchman.

Now at number 26 in the world, Pavon has been as high as 20^th and he followed his win in Spain with a victory at the Farmers Insurance Open on the PGA Tour, a top-three finish at the AT&T Pebble Beach, a top-12 in the US Masters and a fifth place finish at the US Open.

Poston delivers for a third time

Over on the PGA Tour, after a four-hour weather delay on Friday morning, JT Poston and Doug Ghim returned to TPC Summerlin on Sunday morning tied at the top but with holes left to play in round three of the Shriners Children's Open.

Poston was trading at 4.67/2 with five holes left to play of his third round but he was a warm 2.35/4 favourite after he closed it out with birdies at 14, 15 and 18 to lead by three with a round to go and he never really looked like losing after that.

Poston began round four with a birdie at the first and although Ghim got to within a stroke with an eagle at the ninth, the pre-event 50.049/1 chance was back to three clear after back-to-back birdies at 12 and 13.

The margin of victory was just a stroke in the end but that didn't really represent just how easily Poston had won given he bogeyed the 17^th and Ghim birdied 16 and 18.

Poston hit an ugly par putt on the penultimate hole but he no issues at the last, holing from four feet to bag his third PGA Tour title.

Although he never really looked like getting to Poston, Ghim did brilliantly to get to within a stroke given he was drawn on the wrong side of the draw.

The Las Vegas resident, who was in search of his first victory on the PGA Tour, was drawn in the very last group on Thursday afternoon and those drawn PM-AM were disadvantaged to the tune of 3.72 strokes over the first two rounds.

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