A few errant tee shots and an ice-cold putter caused Lindell to fall sharply on Sunday.
Oliver Lindell's worst round of the competition came on the final day of the Soudal Open. The Finn started the day in fourth place, but fell to T25 with a round of 74 strokes. Lindell, who finished with a total score of -5, was disappointed with his poor putting on the final day.
"As Harri Pesonen said after Finland's defeat to the USA in the Ice Hockey World Championships, I really messed up my putting today. I putted either above or below the hole all day. In the past, my shots have let me down in these situations, but today it was my putter – sometimes it happens that way. I sank my only birdie putt on the second hole and a two-metre bogey putt on the back nine," Lindell lamented after the round.
The birdie on the second hole was the only one of the day, and Lindell was only able to make two birdies on the back nine on Sunday. However, there were also four bogeys, including a double bogey on the sixth hole.
The Finnish star's putting has been strong throughout the competition, and he is currently among the tour's elite in terms of iron play. This week, he didn't miss a single shot.
"One tee shot went left on both the front and back nine, and one went into the water on the right. The result didn't stick, but I missed all my putts today. On the last fairway, I hit two really good shots to about a metre, but even that putt didn't go in. With today's performance, that result is terrible," Lindell said.
In the big picture, the Porvoo native's performance has been good in the last two competitions, and he is on the right track. Good placings (12th and 25th) are important for his ranking and, consequently, for his main goal for the season, which is to renew his DPWT playing rights. Fortunately, the three-week competition period continues next week in Austria. We will have to wait until then for a perfect result.
"It may be that the weather will only get worse next week, but we're looking ahead. There's nothing else to do but practise more. It's still not enough in these games."
After the second play-off hole, Kristoffer Reitan, who had played the first two days with Lindell, won the competition. The Finnish player's familiar rival was four strokes behind Lindell before the day, but on Sunday the Norwegian set a new course record of 62 strokes, which was enough to secure his first career victory on the DP World Tour after the play-off.
The battle for victory was dramatic, with Scotland's Ewen Ferguson leading the competition from the opening day until the very last hole. However, on the 72nd hole, his seemingly easy 110-metre wedge shot flew over the green and ended up in the stands, forcing him to take a penalty shot. He rolled his par putt around the hole and failed to match Reitan's birdie on the replay.