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Campillo wins in Morocco to end long wait for European Tour triumph

Jorge Campillo of Spain celebrates his first European Tour win at the 229th attempt after victory in the Trophee Hassan II in Rabat, Morocco -- Apr. 28, 2019. Ross Kinnaird/Getty Images

Spain's Jorge Campillo birdied two of his last three holes to claim a maiden success on the European Tour with a two-shot victory in the Hassan II Golf Trophy at the Royal Golf Dar Es Salam in Rabat on Sunday.

Campillo, who had six runner-up finishes before finally claiming a win in his 229th appearance on the tour, finished with a 71 for a total of nine under-par.

"It's great, it's been a long while. I was on top of my game today, so I'm proud of that," he told reporters.

"It was tough, I had to have my A-game. I was missing shots off the tee, but I managed to recover. I'm proud of the way I finished, I finished like a champion I guess.

"It has taken me a while [to win a trophy], but it is all worth it now."

The 32-year-old Campillo started his final round a shot off the pace but after bogeys on the second and third holes, looked to have blown his chances in a tournament that has seen birdies hard to come by.

But after clawing back those two shots, birdies on the 16th and 17th saw him push to the front and despite a nervous tee shot on the 18th that missed the fairway, he recovered for a par.

South African Erik van Rooyen was the overnight leader going into the final round but could only manage a 74 to finish tied second with Americans Julian Suri (71) and Sean Crocker 72.