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Oliver Lindell
European Challenge Tour player. Reigning Champion of Finland. Youngest successful professional Finnish golfer. Triple Annual Junior Player of the Finnish Golf Union, Champion of Finland in the 14, 16 and 18 year old age categories. Leader of the Ecco Tour ranking, Player of the Year and Rookie of the Year in 2016. Winner of the Duke of York Young Champions Trophy in 2015. The youngest ever Nordic League match winner in 2015 and Nordic League overall ranking second placement in 2016. Youngest ever Finnish golfer to get inside the cut at the European Tour. Ranked fifth at Youth Summer Olympics in 2014. This impressive list of achievements of the young (18) professional golfer makes Oliver Lindell one of the most followed international rising stars.
Lindell was born on 29th of September 1998 in Porvoo. His favourite game from an early age was ice hockey but he also played volleyball and basketball. However, he left team sports after being introduced to golf by his grandfather in 2005. The 6 year-old was on holiday in Spain where his grandfather taught him to grip and chip. Lindell’s present coach Juha Juvonen was a family friend who noticed the exceptional precision and style of the little blond boy on his visit to the family’s summer cottage. Juvonen continued convincing Oliver’s photographer dad Antero Lindell of the rare talent of his offspring and in 2008 the golf prodigy became a member of Virvik Golf Club. Juvonen became Lindell’s coach in 2010 and this was also the year when Oliver Lindell started participating in tournaments.
The self-confident junior loved to practice and was soon noticed in Finnish golf circles when he won the Finnish Championship for the 15 year olds, the Finnish International Junior Championship and the Tsemppi Tour in own age category – all in 2012. The same year Lindell got the first feel of his future rivals participating in several high level international junior tournaments all over the world. In 2013 Lindell won the 16 year olds’ match-play Finnish Championship and was fifth at Singha Thailand Junior World Golf tournament. In 2014 Lindell won the 16 year olds’ match-play Finnish Championship and ranked fifth at the Youth Summer Olympics in China.
Lindell was handed his first men’s big trophy in 2015 when he, still playing as an amateur at the age of 16, won the Master Promo Championship with 69,65,70 = -12. In the same year Lindell won the 18 year olds’ stroke-play Finnish Championship and participated in the distinguished Duke of York Young Champions Trophy tournament winning the trophy. Lindell switched to playing pro soon after his 17th birthday towards the end of 2015. In 2016 Lindell won adult Finnish Championship and the Ecco Tour ranking. Lindell was also selected as Ecco Tour Player of the Year and Rookie of the Year. He participated successfully in the Nordic League professional tournament winning two tours, being second in two and making four times in to the top five. With those results Lindell ranked second at the Nordic League tournament and earned the right to participate in European Challenge Tour in 2017. Lindell made his European Tour debut in 2016 with a superb T26 ranking.
Exceptional extra training methods on top of regular practice show Lindell’s endless determination to become one of the top world players. He’s built a green with chipping areas on nearby rocks to his summer cottage and he hones his skills by chipping to a self made reed green from a rowing boat on water. Those special and challenging training methods show his commitment and joy of training but they also teach him to control the ball from truly challenging positions at real competitions. It is very likely this cool-headed boy from Porvoo would be able to fight back in to the game from any situation. Steely nerves, self confidence and consistency are the key strengths of Lindell.
Lindell’s main challenge in 2017 will be the European Challenge Tour where he is going to participate in around twenty tournaments. The goal is to reach the top 45 in European Challenge Tour ranking by the end of the season that would allow him access to play for a place in the European Tour. And although Lindell will have round 150 competition, training and travelling days this year, he’s also determined to complete his degree in marketing and administration and do his military service in the sports corps in the winter following the 2017 season.
Lindell’s goal for the following three years sees him with an established place on the European Tour. From there on, the journey continues towards bigger dreams and greater victories. His biggest dream is the iconic green jacket from the Masters Tournament!