Julien Guerrier is 0-170 on the DP World Tour and has never reached the season-ending DP World Tour Championship in Dubai in his 16 years bouncing between the European and Challenge Tours.
The 37-year-old Frenchman has a chance to put all that to rights in Southport on Sunday when he takes a nervous one-stroke advantage into the final round of the €1.75 million Cazoo Classic at Hillside Golf Club.
Rounds of 66-69-69 sees Guerrier on-12 and a stroke ahead of bespectacled Englishman Paul Waring who is seeking a second DP World Tour title to go with his 2018 Nordea Masters victory, 33-year-old Swede Jens Dantorp who counts the 2017 Ras Al Khaimah Classic among his three Challenge Tour titles and Scotsman Richie Ramsay who is seeking his fourth European title but first in seven years.
Victory would propel Guerrier up nearly 80 places to 31st in the DP World Tour Rankings in partnership with Rolex, virtually assuring him a start in the season-ender at Jumeirah Golf Estates from November 17- 20.
But with 15 players within five strokes of Guerrier, the world No.454 won’t rest easy on his overnight lead as he looks for a DP World Tour breakthrough to go with a pair of Challenge Tour titles.
At least Guerrier has linksland pedigree, having famously won the 2006 Amateur Champion at Royal St George’s. He also has sporting pedigree; his father is a former fencing world championship and French second division footballer while his mother represented France in basketball.
“I mean, I love to play links so everybody knows that. I’m from a town, La Rochelle, where it is very windy so I love to play into the wind,” said Guerrier whose previous best finish on the DP World Tour was his 86th placing at the conclusion of the 2018 season.
“Of course it is going to be emotional but I will keep my plan. I want to hit fairways, greens and to hole the putts.”
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1. 👌@CazooUK | #CazooClassic pic.twitter.com/NcxKg5x5pI— DP World Tour (@DPWorldTour) July 23, 2022
Waring led through 36 holes by two from Guerrier, Dantorp and Grant Forrest (the Scotsman starts Sunday -10) but endured a tough even par day on Saturday, fighting back after three mid-round bogeys with birdies on 14 and 18 to go with an earlier gain at the 2nd.
“I am really happy that I have dug in and not played myself out of the tournament in total honesty,” Waring said of his 72.
“I didn’t feel great out there today, didn’t play great, didn’t have control of the golf ball, so to grind it out in tough conditions and only be one back, I would have taken that halfway through the round.
“It just kind of started to get away from me a little bit, hit a great third shot into 12 after hitting water off the tee and saving par, and that was a bit of a turning point, and from there went on to birdie 14 and had a strong finish in the end.”
How things looks with 18 holes to play 📊 #CazooClassic
— DP World Tour (@DPWorldTour) July 23, 2022
