Heavy rain may prevent the race from starting on Thursday – Lindell, who is in top form, eagerly awaits the decision
The DP World Tour returns to Austria after a four-year hiatus, with this week's event taking place in Salzburg. Many may remember Mikko Korhonen's victory in 2018, which was a special tournament in its own right. The tournament was called the "Shot Clock Masters", as it began to focus on the speed of play by imposing penalty strokes for shots that exceeded the time limit.
Oliver Lindell is in good form going into the competition, having finished 25th and 12th in his last two tournaments. In Belgium, his best performance of his career did not last quite to the end, as his putter was badly frozen on the final round. However, the starting point is such that another brilliant performance can be expected from Austria. The conditions are rainy, as they were last week, and there are still threats hanging over the competition on Wednesday.
"It's very wet here and it's supposed to rain until morning. Based on current information, this means that tomorrow's play may be cancelled. The course was already so wet yesterday that it would have been impossible to play in those conditions. The transfer rule will definitely be in effect on the course," Lindell reports.
The tournament will move to a par 70 course, where there are again only two par 5s, but more par 3s. At first glance, this sounds good to Lindell, who is one of the hottest iron players on the tour. However, the total length of the course is similar to that in Belgium, which means that the par 4 holes are longer on average. The roughs are also true to their name this week, long and thick, unlike in the previous two competitions.
"A few par 5s have been changed to par 4s. The condition of the course is not as good as in previous competitions, which is a shame – but the best players will still do well there. Green hits will be important this week because of the tight rough, especially around the green. The same goes for fairway hits, as you can clean the ball there, unlike in the rough."
"I'm using my new driver for the first time, and it feels really good. It has given us more spin, which means we have better control over our shots. Overall, the feeling is really good, we just want to get out there and play," says the Finn.
Lindell is scheduled to tee off on Thursday at 9.15 a.m. Finnish time with France's Clément Sordet and India's Veer Ahlawat.