Lindell had a frustrating day on the greens in Turin – “The lads are shooting hundreds under par, and you can’t get a single putt in”
Oliver Lindell once again secured his place in the final rounds in Italy with a round of 72 on Friday. However, his total score of -5 is not what Lindell would have hoped for after such a strong opening day. Naturally, his ambitions were set higher than simply making the cut.
Yesterday’s strong ball striking continued, but the second day on the greens proved frustrating. The Finn missed just three greens, but failed to sink a putt from more than one metre out. His putting didn’t look particularly bad and he was finding the right lines. However, too many putts came to rest just nipping the edges of the cup, which isn’t enough in a birdie-rich competition like this.
“I did manage a couple of putts yesterday, but today I made only one by over a metre. That was practically the only difference from yesterday. I also couldn’t capitalise on my par-5s today. The ball bounces a lot on the greens, and I’m finding it hard to get anything in.”
The five-stroke gap between the days was certainly down to the fact that Lindell managed to hit a few approach shots close to the hole yesterday and sink a few five-metre putts. There would have been similar opportunities today as well.
“I was really on form today; I hit a few opening shots to the right off the tee at the start, but otherwise I played very well. It was a tough day, as I hit most of my approach shots to good spots and on the right lines. Not a single putt went in, and they often fell just short of the line,” Lindell lamented.
Lindell managed to card two birdies on the front nine from short range, but missed a few par-3 greens, resulting in bogeys from tricky spots. After two days, he is tied for 31st place.
“On both par-3 holes at the back-nine, I really messed up my iron shots and just couldn’t manage to get any up-and-downs. It certainly makes your head spin when the lads are shooting scores of 100 under par and you can’t get anything in, even though you’re hitting the ball well.”
Joaquin Niemann shot a 63 today to take the lead in the tournament with a total score of -15. He has recorded just one bogey across his two rounds.