Lindell climbed closer to the top – in tenth place after the morning round!
Oliver Lindell achieved what he had dared to hope for yesterday. The Porvoo native posted an impressive score of -2 (70) in the second round and is tied for eighth place after his round with a total score of -2. Half of the players have completed two rounds, and only one player has performed better than Lindell. The others ahead of him have played one round.
"Today was even better than yesterday. My putting was good again, I missed one short putt, but otherwise I played confidently. In this wind, everything is challenging, as sometimes you feel you've hit a good shot, but it doesn't end up anywhere near the hole. I can be happy with the first two days, the leaders are unlikely to get too far ahead, so we're well on track for the weekend," said a delighted Lindell.
On a challenging course with strong winds, plenty of undulations and hazards on both the fairways and greens, a smart game strategy and avoiding mistakes are key. The Finnish player and his caddies have once again succeeded in this.
"It's difficult to hit two shots on any of the par 5 fairways here. You would need to hit two really good shots to just about make it, so it's not worth the risk. The downwind holes are the ones to go for, and the upwind holes just need to be played smart. It was nice playing in the morning, as I didn't have to fight against the afternoon cut, but was able to get the job done nicely."
The winds in Aberdeen have been mentioned many times, and for good reason. Strong gusts of wind not only carry the ball sideways off the fairways or greens, but also critically alter the length of the fairways. Lindell gave an eye-opening illustration of how different it is to play with and against the wind this week.
"The drive on the 18th hole flew about 210 metres into the headwind, and the second shot with a 3-iron only went 140 metres. Then, when compared to the downwind fairways, the opening shot on the last fairway with a 3-iron flew 280 metres, which is twice as far as into the headwind. The drive on the 11th fairway with a tailwind carried it 325 metres, which is over a hundred metres longer than into the headwind."
The lead in the competition has not changed since the opening round, as no player has managed to beat Richard Sterne's opening day score of -5. As a result, the lead may remain just a few strokes behind Lindell's score. The afternoon starters are just beginning their rounds.