Lindell played his best round of the week on moving day, including one left-handed shot.
Oliver Lindell played his best round of the Turkish Airlines Open on Saturday. The reason for this was a five-stroke improvement on yesterday's front nine (holes 1-10). On the back nine (11-18), he managed to score seven birdies on the previous two days, but on Saturday, his score was no longer statistically dependent on the easier back nine.
"I calmed my swing down today and as a result I was able to get off the tee better. I still had a couple of bad tee shots on the front nine, but the conditions were so easy today that I had to get a good score."
The combined score of -7 is currently enough for T19, with the afternoon rounds still underway. Today's score (-4) naturally lifts the Finn up the leaderboard. Saturday's round was largely in line with the Porvoo native's current form, not badly below par, but no real stretch was required.
"I missed some putts today, but I also made some, so I don't think I lost much in the end. With perfect execution on those shots, it could have been 7-8 under par, but that's good enough for now. -4 is a decent result."
After a few weaker tee shots on the par 3, Lindell played two holes more aggressively off the tee compared to the previous two days. This produced the desired result, with a birdie on the 9th hole instead of yesterday's bogey. Above all, it served as a good warm-up for the most challenging hole on the course, where he had enough confidence today to hit his first drive from the tee.
"The drives I hit today landed on the fairway. That made it easier to score. Of course, the windless conditions make it easier when a small fade shot fits on the fairways," said the Finn about the changes from yesterday.
"It was nice to be able to keep my own rhythm and not have to stand around all the time," said Lindell of a round that was almost two hours shorter than the previous days.
Today's round included a few more unusual situations for the first time this week. There was some bad luck involved, but the nimble-fingered player found solutions to both situations.
"The tee shot on the fourth hole was right next to a tree root, so I had to hit my second shot with my left hand. It was a pretty good shot that landed in front of the green, where I should have been able to make an up & down. The tee shot on the 17th ended up in another player's landing area, and I had no idea how the ball would bounce. I managed to save a good par – I've never had to hit from a landing area before," Lindell recounted.
Brandon Robinson-Thompson (-14) from England took the lead with a furious 62-stroke round.