Lindell broke into the top ten at the DPWT final in Dubai
Oliver Lindell got off to a strong start in the DP World Tour Finals at the Jumeirah Estates course in Dubai with a score of 70 (-2). His round, played in strong winds, is enough to put him in a tie for eighth place after the opening round. Over the years, the Earth course has typically seen significantly lower scores, but the wind conditions are the most severe seen in the finals in recent years.
Lindell’s putting has taken a leap forward compared with last week, and he produced 14 holes of near-flawless play on the green. On the 15th hole, he carded the day’s first bogey after three putts, but his biggest misjudgement came on the approach shot. The Finn had hit his best drive of the day, only to fall just short of the green. Then something unexpected happened.
“The 15th hole really sapped my momentum. I hit my best drive of the day onto the front of the green. My wedge shot landed in a sandy spot on the green and came to a strange stop. It took me three putts to get it in.”
“Towards the end, I missed a few three-metre jumps, but overall it was a good performance in those conditions and I got off to a good start in the competition,” said Lindell, looking pleased.
The greens this week have been in significantly poorer condition compared with last week’s tournament in Abu Dhabi. The courses at Jumeirah have been experiencing irrigation problems for a few months ahead of the tournament, and the greens have not been brought anywhere near to last year’s condition, which is causing unexpected bounces on approach shots.
After the round, Lindell was particularly pleased with his opening play. Following last week’s performance, he had even considered playing the final round without a driver, as the mini-driver has produced significantly more consistent results. On Thursday, the Porvoo native hit four tee shots with his driver and the rest with his mini-driver and long irons.
“Ten fairway hits today set me up for a low score. It’s nice to play when you can hit the fairways. There were a few tricky iron shots today, but in these conditions, everyone faces them.”
As well as a successful opening round, Lindell’s closest rivals on the PGA Tour’s points list were left behind him, so the opening round was a positive start to the tournament in every respect. Andy Sullivan, who played in the same group as Lindell, was clearly struggling and finished on +4.
Joost Luiten (-5), who played in the first group of the morning, took the lead in the competition. This illustrates how the conditions became more challenging as the day progressed, as not a single player managed to break the 67-stroke mark. The Dutchman would not have qualified for the final based on his ranking, but he came through as the last reserve following a number of withdrawals.
Lindell will play the second round alongside David Puig of Spain. The pair are due to tee off at 9.35 Finnish time.