Despite the setbacks, Lindell was once again in contention for the title
Oliver Lindell’s subsequent rounds at the British Masters were very different from one another, and his score fluctuated by nine strokes between the last two rounds. However, there was no dramatic difference in his play, as on the third round his putts generally went in, whilst on the fourth they went wide. A couple of weaker tee-shots also came back to haunt him on Sunday’s final round.
“The third round was actually a nightmare, especially off the tee, but my iron play was on fire. The result, of course, came down to the fact that I sank every putt. Today was more of the same in that sense – I think I hit five fairways. I ran into the biggest trouble on the opening shot of the sixth hole, which bounced off some rocks into the water, and then I hit a poor approach shot from a distance, sealing the double bogey.”
Lindell played two bogey-free rounds in the competition, but on the final day he carded two bogeys in addition to a double bogey, resulting in a round score of +2. On the back nine, he managed to sharpen his game and fought his way up to 11th place (-8). There are still players on the course, so a top-ten finish is still a possibility.
“I couldn’t manage an up-and-down on the 9th, as the putt didn’t drop, and it was the same story on the back nine. I was still putting well, but even the good putts weren’t dropping anymore. Towards the end, I hit some good shots and came really close to birdies on 15 and 16, plus a lip-out on the 18th. That last putt certainly left a bitter taste in my mouth; if I’d even managed to sink that one, I could have been satisfied with the weekend,” said Lindell.
Lindell put himself back in contention for the title with a stunning third round of 65. The round was split over two days, with the round that began on Saturday being completed with a score of -7 on Sunday ahead of the final round. A broken driver head prior to the tournament was not the only equipment-related problem he faced in the run-up to and during the competition.
“The wind was fierce today, and that was all the more evident when I hit the ball badly off the tee. The situation was made worse by the fact that I had to play without my mini-driver on the back nine, as I think the clubface on that one is broken too. I also had to play without my 8-iron, which I hit into a tree on the fourth hole yesterday, and the club bent from the impact. So I ended up playing over 30 holes without a 8-iron. I tried to make do without it for the rest of the round, but I could certainly have needed it with a dozen times over. Of course, I hit well with the 7-iron when playing it soft, or with the 9-iron when hitting it hard.”
The Finn was also among those who struggled with the conditions in a race characterised by long days and interruptions.
“It’s starting to feel like it’s all coming to an end now, as we’ve been getting up at five at the latest every morning and have been out on the pitch until the evening. I’d say it’s been a balanced and good week, though, and we’ll certainly welcome the bye-week.”
England’s Joe Dean (-14) managed to shoot a 63 on Sunday, the windiest day of the week, and has taken a two-stroke lead over his compatriot Marco Penge.