Lindell: "From tee to green, by far the best of the year – putting is not enjoyable"
Oliver Lindell played the third round of the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship with a score of 67 (-5), just like on the opening day. His total score of -10 means he is in T36th place in this high-level competition on an easy course, with one round still to go.
It is rare to be disappointed with a round of 67, but that was the only emotion felt by the Porvoo native immediately after the round. After two days, Lindell, who is fourth in the competition, again had 16/18 greens in regulation on his approach shots. These led to seven birdies, but there was more to come, as the remaining nine birdie attempts were all within eight metres, but the putts did not find the hole.
Virvik managed to sink a few five-metre putts and one longer monster putt, but in this competition, that is not enough for him to be satisfied with the result.
"Putting isn't fun at the moment. Every time I see on the green that the ball isn't touching the flag, I assume that the putt won't go in. There are many problems – I don't understand how the grain (the direction of the grass growth) affects the behaviour of the putt, and I don't have confidence in the lines. Once you've put your faith in it and the ball goes in a completely different direction, it quickly erodes your confidence. On top of that, the putts sometimes go wherever they want, so pretty much everything is wrong," Lindell said with disappointment.
The positive aspects can be found in everything that doesn't happen with a putter in your hand. Although the overriding feeling is one of disappointment, and the ranking doesn't reflect what he is currently capable of, there is more good than bad in his game at the moment. It can be said in all sincerity that the Finn is currently one of the best ball strikers in the world.
"In terms of striking, today was by far the best I've done all year. I made two mistakes from the tee to the green during the day, and here that has always meant a bogey, as it did today. I could hit my wedges closer, but my long shots, especially with the mid-irons, are really hot. Tomorrow, if I can get the best round of the week on the board, the top 20 is more than possible."
Lindell, who has already proven himself as a strong wedge player on the Challenge Tour, has been in a special situation, especially in the Abu Dhabi competition, as he has not been able to get much closer to the flag with his wedges than the aforementioned mid-irons. Sharpness in his wedge play and even moderate success in birdie opportunities would lift him to a good position in a tournament that features only the best players on the tour.
The strongest of these is England's Aaron Rai, who is in the lead with a total score of -21 after 16 holes.