Lindell had a positive day on the greens – "Today we managed to have fun on the course."
Many golfers know the feeling of not being able to get all aspects of their game to click into place during a single round. Oliver Lindell found his groove with his putter for the first time on a trip to the Middle East, but his opening round left something to be desired. He shot a 70 (-2) in the third round and shares 38th place with a total score of -3.
As Lindell and his cousin Emil Markus, who is also carrying his bag this week, have noted in Dubai, the third shot is the most important shot in golf. Lindell's round on Saturday included some rare and, at times, severe mistakes off the tee.
"On the second fairway, I hit a slightly wilder drive for the first time in a while, and it stayed a little high today. There were some good openings, and my iron play was still strong when I got to hit from a good spot. I've been working on my putting, and today it showed on the course. It didn't feel particularly good in the morning before the round, but it was already better. A few good putts and a lot of narrow misses," Lindell said.
The Porvoo native hit the fairways at a low percentage (4/14) in the third round, but made up for it with good approach shots. His greens in regulation were marked with a reliable 14/18 accuracy. On Saturday, he managed to take advantage of the par 5s in a commendable manner, with three of his four birdies coming on par 5 holes.
The bogeys, on the other hand, came from sand traps, as Lindell competed with his playing partner Martin Couvra to see who could hit the most bunkers. The fairway bunkers at Jumeirah are particularly treacherous obstacles, from which it is rarely possible to find a realistic shot to the green.
From the start of the third round, Lindell's body language was completely different from previous days. He even smiled after the round. It was clear that his positive attitude and belief in his own abilities had carried over to the greens on Saturday. Although his competitive spirit drives him to aim for the top spots in every tournament, it is also important to remember the level of competition in which the tour rookie is currently playing.
"I try to have fun, and today I succeeded quite well. The first two days were quite tough in every way. If I can get all the pieces in place tomorrow, it would be nice to end the season with a solid round."
The battle for the top spot in the competition is shaping up to be a very close contest, with more than a dozen players in contention. Rory McIlroy is once again on his way to winning the ranking, but he will start Sunday's final round tied for the lead (-13) with Rasmus Neergaard-Petersen. A total of six players are just one stroke behind them.