Lindell managed to turn a race that had got off to a difficult start into another success – “The weekend I was aiming for”
Oliver Lindell failed to match the form he showed on Saturday during his final round, carding a score of +1 – the second-highest of the tournament. His overall score on India’s challenging course is a respectable Par. With the final round drawing to a close, only 12 players are currently under par. If the scores hold, Lindell will finish in a tie for 13th place.
“It was another really good round today. The course had been set up as difficult as possible, and the wind had shifted to the opposite direction today. I left a lot of putts 10–15 metres out, from which it was difficult to get within a metre of the hole, as there were often steep slopes along the way. Today there were three three-putt greens, of which only the one on the 8th hole was a short one missed. I hit a brilliant iron shot to 10 metres, but couldn’t get it in with two putts,” Lindell recounted.
Virvik’s player made a fine comeback over the weekend, climbing from just above the cut line to a position that earned him valuable ranking points. His performance was hampered by the absence of his trusted caddie, Emil Markus, who was unable to take part due to a visa refusal.
“A good improvement over the weekend. I played the first six holes at +5 during the week, so considering that, finishing almost below par was a satisfying result, which was exactly what I was aiming for. Fortunately, I now have a three-week break at home before the tournament in Shanghai.”
The highlight of the round came on the seventh hole. He had bogeyed the previous hole, but Lindell managed to sink a birdie on a hole where only three had been made all day.
“The front nine was really tough today because of the shifting wind. It made the seventh hole in particular practically impossible, but I hit two perfect shots there. I managed to get within four metres with my 9-iron and the putt went in.”
Lindell’s accuracy, particularly off the tee, was at a career high this week, which bodes well for future tournaments too. After three rounds, the Porvoo native was the third most accurate player in the competition. His more frequent use of the mini-driver contributed to this statistic. As for greens in regulation, Lindell is, as has become almost customary, also in the top 10.
The battle for the title turned into a head-to-head contest between last year’s winner, Eugenio Chacarra, and Alex Fitzpatrick. Alex’s brother, Matt Fitzpatrick, celebrated victory on the PGA Tour just a week ago. Previously, only the Hojgaard brothers have managed to secure back-to-back wins on the major tours. The gap between the pair quickly turned five strokes in the Englishman’s favour over the course of three holes. Fitzpatrick leads by four strokes after 17 holes, whereas three holes earlier the Spaniard was still in the lead.