“African Major” kicks off Lindell’s second season on the DP World Tour – “Good competition to start the season”
Oliver Lindell will start his season at the Nedbank Golf Challenge in South Africa, also known as the African Major. This is a prestigious tournament with only 66 players participating and prize money totalling $6 million. It is also possible to accumulate a lot of ranking points right at the start of the season, as there are more points available than in the basic competition.
Lindell’s entry into the competition was only confirmed after he landed in South Africa on Monday morning. However, the Finn had time to familiarise himself with the Gary Player Golf Club course by playing one full round and half a practice round.
“At the beginning of the season, I assumed that there would be no problem getting into this tournament, but there have been so many different winners on the tour over the past two years who have pipped me to the post. When I left home, I already believed that I might get into the tournament, and that was confirmed just before my flight from Johannesburg to Sun City. This is a great place, and it was tough to get in, but that’s fine, and in a way, it’s just a nice bonus, and I’ll try to use it to play four good rounds at the start of the season,” said Lindell.
Virvik’s debut season was better than many would have believed. Lindell himself gave the past season a commendable rating, but the success-hungry man has set his sights higher for the second season, and through the rankings, for example, aiming for a PGA card is entirely realistic. The South African competition is a great start to the upcoming season.
“We’re looking for a good start to the season, and this is a great place to do it because there are so few players. The driver and 3-wood have been updated to next year’s Cobra models. The clubs look different, but they also feel different compared to the old ones. They feel better than the previous ones.”
As usual, the list of participants is rock solid, and the list of tournament winners includes a host of familiar superstars. The level of performance has varied greatly from year to year, if you look at just the last few years. Last year, a total score of -5 was enough to win, while in 2023 Max Homa raced to a score of -19. The par-3 holes in particular are played long, with all four par-3s measuring at least 200 metres. The par 5s, on the other hand, are two strokes longer in terms of length.
The fairway is quite narrow, so if you hit the ball crookedly, you will have to hit three shots from the bunker. The term ‘Caddie Graveyard’ has become familiar, as the wind may seem to be against you at the tee, but in reality it may be in your favour. The wind swirls badly, so you have to be careful with it, and we are again at an altitude of over a kilometre, so the ball will fly happily.”
Lindell will tee off at 9:44 a.m. on Thursday morning. Playing in the same group are Christiaan Bezuidenhout from South Africa and Richard Mansell from England.