SAN ROQUE, Spain (AP) 鈥� Julien Guerrier needed nine playoff holes in his 230th tournament to claim his first European tour win on Sunday.
Guerrier made an 8-foot par putt on the record-equaling ninth playoff hole to beat Spaniard Jorge Campillo after they finished tied at 21-under par following 72 holes.
鈥淚鈥檓 feeling great and I can鈥檛 believe I made it. Because it鈥檚 been a really long time I鈥檝e been waiting for it,鈥� the Frenchman said. 鈥淲e work really hard every week for that but we have to stay patient.鈥�
Guerrier had forced the playoff by making a 16-foot par putt on the 18th for a final round of 2-under 70.
Campillo also shot 70 in a round that included three bogeys on his final seven holes, including on the 18th to open the door for Guerrier.
鈥淥n the last putt, I was thinking of my kids to give me the strength to hit it, so thanks to my family and my team," the 39-year-old Guerrier said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 a long wait and I鈥檓 very happy.鈥�
Guerrier's coach, Raphael Jacquelin, had won a nine-hole playoff at the Spanish Open in 2013. The only other European tour event decided by a nine-hole playoff was the 1989 Dutch Open won by Jose Mar铆a Olaz谩bal.
Englishman Dan Brown finished in third place at 19-under par after shooting 3-under 69 in his final round at the Real Club de Golf Sotogrande. Jordan Smith of England and Rasmus Hojgaard of Denmark ended in a tie for fourth at 18-under.
, playing in his third European tour event in the past four weeks, finished four shots off the lead in sixth place after a final round of 67.
Rahm, No. 14 in the world, was the top-ranked player in the tournament, which marks the final event of the year on European soil for the tour.
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The Associated Press
