A run of four birdies lifted Lindell from just below the cut line into the striking distance – “There’s no way I’d have been able to fly home from here”
After a slight dip on Thursday, Oliver Lindell returned to top form in Shanghai. Following a front nine of two under par, the Porvoo native was sitting in 90th place on the leaderboard, and the battle for a place in the weekend’s play was very much on. However, halfway through the back nine, the tide turned as Lindell rattled off four birdies in a row. This eased the pressure heading into the final hole – perhaps a little too much.
“The 18th hole and its tee shot are tricky for me. I’ve tried to play it safe, at least for the first few days, and yet my tee shots have still ended up in the bushes on the left. I knew that even a double bogey would be enough to make the cut, so I took a drop from the bushes, even though the ball was actually close to the fairway. The tee shots on the first and last par-5-holes went left, and they certainly cost me.”
Despite a setback on the final hole, the Finn had a brilliant day overall. He climbed nearly 60 places in the leaderboard thanks to a round of -5. His overall score of -3 is enough to secure a tie for 37th place. It also marked a dazzling 21st consecutive cut. This can be seen as a very strong statement, bearing in mind that Lindell is only playing his second season on the main tour. Making it through to the weekend wasn’t the easiest of tasks this time round.
“Last night, after my round, I checked the airlines’ websites to find some motivation for today and for getting through the weekend. I realised I wouldn’t have been able to get home at all if I hadn’t succeeded today. Overall, it was a good day; I played very well all the way through. I couldn’t get my putts in at the start of back-nine, but after the halfway point, they all went in.”
“It all started with my longest putt, when I sank a six-metre putt on the 14th. After that, I managed to get a couple of approach shots within a metre, and on the 17th I sank another four-metre putt. It makes a huge difference to play in good weather compared to yesterday’s wind and rain. Yesterday afternoon the course played three strokes better on average than the morning, even though it’s usually the other way round. The greens have also started to firm up considerably. I’m in good form and now I can really go for it this weekend,” said Lindell, reflecting on his good day.
The highly experienced duo of Shaun Norris and Bernd Wiesberger took the lead in the competition with a score of -12.