Four under par on Par 5’s – “If I can get the best score of the week tomorrow, I’ll be happy”
The par 5’s played the biggest part in Oliver Lindell’s strong third round. He remains firmly in contention for the top spots, with the Finn currently tied for 12th place on -11. He has recorded three rounds with the score starting with a six over the past three days. On Saturday, he carded six birdies, two bogeys and a score of -4.
Lindell managed to birdie all four par-5 holes on the third round. His ball striking has been superb all week, and with a slightly sharper putting game, the Porvoo native would currently be playing from the top spot of the tournament.
“A day very much like yesterday. My putting was a touch better, but I did manage to card one three-putt on the back nine (hole 15). I hit all the par-5s onto the green in two, apart from the longest one (hole 13). I hit that one to within a metre with a 9-iron today, so I managed to make four easy birdies on the par-5s as planned,” reported Lindell.
Only the ninth hole has posed a minor challenge for Lindell, in the form of two bogeys. It is an extremely long and difficult par-4 hole. It serves as a good reminder that top rounds at the Hainan course don’t come for free, but require superb ball-striking.
“I’ve been hitting it to left from the tee, from where you can’t see the green and it’s been over 200 metres away. I’ve always managed to get to the green bunker with my second shot, but I haven’t managed to make an up-and-down on either day.”
The leaders have pulled six strokes clear of the Finn, but playing in the leading group is always a challenge in itself. The game often becomes more passive and players focus on defending their lead. The leading duo (-17) have, however, put in impressive performances all week, but Lindell’s bid for at least a top-five finish is a realistic prospect. He is three strokes behind the players tied for fourth place.
“If I manage to shoot the best round of the week tomorrow, I’ll be really happy with how the week has gone.”
Lindell will tee off for his final round at 5.17 am Finnish time. He will be joined by an interesting domestic player, Yanhan Zhou, and Daniel Rodrigues. Zhou is a super-talent as much as 10 years younger than Lindell. Zhou has already enjoyed success on the Chinese domestic tour at the age of 17.