Cool weather and rain forecast for the Swiss mountains – Lindell heads into the race with two consecutive top 10 finishes under his belt
The DP World Tour has moved to the picturesque Swiss mountain landscape ahead of the Omega European Masters in Crans-Montana. Oliver Lindell returns to action after a week's break. The Porvoo native is back in top form and eagerly awaiting Thursday's start, provided that conditions allow the tournament to begin as scheduled.
"We are eager to get back to playing after the week off. Tomorrow morning will be interesting, as heavy rain and cold weather are forecast, so we'll have to see if we can play. It's bad luck with the start time, as there may be interruptions in the morning due to heavy rain, so I was hoping for an afternoon start," says Lindell.
The start of the week has been great, with wonderful conditions in a stunning setting high above sea level. We have familiarised ourselves with the course together with Finnish players Tapio Pulkkinen and Sami Välimäki, who are once again competing in the tournament. The altitude brings its own challenges to the game, as we have moved considerably higher than in Denmark.
"Yesterday's practice round went well for the Finnish group in good weather. The ball flies well here at an altitude of 1,500 metres, but that also brings its own challenges to the game. The short game will also be challenging, as there is tight rough in places around the greens, and the greens are elevated. There is no room for 'short side' approaches here at all."
Short side means missing the shot on the same side of the hole as the green when viewed from the green. In this case, there is little room for manoeuvre in the short game, as there is little green available. The short game has traditionally been one of Lindell's absolute strengths, and this week it will be put to the test in particular.
The competition itself is one of the finest of the season, and the mountain scenery is magnificent. The competition has historically been very competitive, although last year's results fell well short of previous years. The few long par 4 holes on the front nine will be the most challenging holes of the week.
"It's a magnificent course with beautiful scenery, although in these poor weather conditions it's not at its best. Let's hope that the heaviest rain will be confined to tomorrow. It's definitely possible to achieve low scores here this week. There have been no changes to my bag, and I'm in perfectly normal shape."
Lindell will tee off at 8:40 a.m. Finnish time on the 10th tee alongside Sweden's Björn Åkesson and South Africa's Louis Alberts, weather permitting. The Finn is the top player of the trio in terms of both ranking and world ranking, with the best world ranking of his career (215).