Jorge Campillo got off to a brilliant start at the Estrella Damm Andalucía Masters carding a bogey free eight under par first round to sit third two strokes behind the leader, Frenchman Julien Guerrier, and one behind Englishman Daniel Brown.
A strong western wind was the main challenge on the Sotogrande layout softened by several rainy days. The receptive greens favoured spectacular scoring such as Guerrier’s ten unblemished birdies or Brown’s nine.
This is Campillo’s ninth straight week of work as he aims to move into the top 50 on the DP World Tour Rankings to earn a spot in the Dubai finale and even a PGA Tour card, as he did last year by finishing in the top ten.
“I love playing. I don’t like the travelling, but I have no choice. I was advised not to go to the Dunhill and finished 18th. The more I am told to rest, the better I seem to play.”
“I am playing well enough to be up there. I fell a bit short on the PGA Tour; it was a matter of small mistakes, but I am playing quite well.”
The 38-year-old teed off calmly on the afternoon shift under a gusty wind not believing that he could get close to the leader.
“If I had been told that I would post this score, I wouldn’t have believed it. I played solid, and chipping in on 9 gave me momentum going into the back nine.”
Eugenio Chacarra (-4) and Alejandro del Rey (-3) also stood out amongst the Spanish players on the opening day of the Estrella Damm N.A. Andalucía Masters.
France’s Julien Guerrier tops the leader board after posting his career record of birdies in a round.
“I had a great time. Everything worked my way and it’s wonderful when you play like that. The hardest part is staying in the present, because when you stand on the 12th with nine birdies it’s easy for the head to wander. I tried to find the balance between staying focused and enjoying the moment. I don’t know what the secret was, but I love playing in Spain and I am a fan of Iberian ham.”
Jon Rahm, the best ranked Spaniard, had to work hard to stay in contention.
“I hit it good off the tee but made too many mistakes with my irons. If you don’t hit it solid under this wind, you are in trouble, and that’s what happened to me on the first fourteen holes. I tried to keep it low, but failed to control the ball. On 18 I had 116 yards to the pin downwind and missed the green... a real crime!
The way I drove the ball today, I should have given myself plenty of birdie chances instead of struggling for par.”
Despite his disappointing start ̶ tied 39th in -2 with compatriots Ángel Hidalgo, Nacho Elvira, Sebastián García and Alfredo García Heredia, amongst many others ̶ there was a positive finish to his round.
“The last five holes were better. I didn’t feel that different, but focused less on technique and more on being precise. I finished with a perfect birdie on 9, and hopefully I can build on that tomorrow.”
INSIDE THE ROPES
A super-perfect round
The first-round leader of the Estrella Damm N.A. Andalucía Masters 2024 displayed a top level of golf that can be summarized in two facts.
The first, a real rarity, Guerrier hit all the greens in regulation, which means he didn’t need a single up and down.
The second is his career-best number of ten birdies on a bogey free card.
Ángel and Jon
Jon Rahm and Ángel Hidalgo are playing together for the second time, in a less tense situation than last month in Madrid.
“Ángel is a great boy and good fun to play with. He plays some incredible shots. Let’s see if tomorrow we can have as much fun only with better scores.”
Unofficial course record
Despite the wind, three players (Julien Guerrier, Daniel Brown and Jorge Campillo) beat the course record of 65 set by Swiss amateur Tom Mao in the 2024 Sotogrande Cup. But Guerrier’s 62 will not count in the records because of preferred lies.
Coussaud’s hole-in-one
Frenchman Ugo Coussaud scored a hole-in-one on hole 8, from 175 yards with a 6 iron. Coussaud carded a roller-coaster opening round of 70 (-2) with five birdies, five bogeys and a hole-in-one.
Eagle on 18?
Nobody has ever managed to eagle this demanding 470-yard par four, but a beautiful osprey is a regular visitor to this hole, as was confirmed during the last bird census carried out on the course at the end of September.
The census is one of the many environmental initiatives undertaken at the Club in recent years in order to preserve and promote wildlife on the course.
Tickets for the Estrella Damm N.A. Andalucía Masters are available, with discounts for members of the federation (and their families/friends) and free access for children under 13, and can be purchased here.
The Estrella Damm N.A. Andalucía Masters, an event in the DP World Tour’s Race to Dubai made possible by the essential contribution of the Real Club de Golf Sotogrande, is sponsored by Estrella Damm and the Junta de Andalucía, jointly funded by the EU and was declared Event of Exceptional Public Interest by the Government of Spain.
