Lindell progresses to the next round despite a poor day on the greens – “My ball-striking would put me in contention at the top”
Just as he did on the opening day, Oliver Lindell carded a round of 70 on Friday, which still leaves him on par for the tournament. After the opening round, he said that a par score was a satisfactory benchmark, but on Friday, in easier conditions, he could have done considerably better. Lindell certainly gave himself the chance with some good shots, but his putter was off the mark during the morning round in Ireland.
Whilst the round is still underway, he is currently in T41, so there is almost a 100 per cent certainty that we will see a Finnish player on the weekend again this week. It’s been the same story for over 14 months now, whenever Lindell has been on the starting line.
“Just like yesterday, I didn’t manage to get much in. I sank a couple of big par-saving putts on holes 6 and 15, which kept me in the game – along with the eagle on the 10th. Otherwise, it was a nightmare – I couldn’t get anything in, even though I kept putting myself in good positions, but my lines just weren’t on target. My game was in such good form that it would have allowed me to challenge at the top. It’s tough and frustrating, as I think I missed four putts of about a metre,” Lindell recalled.
The undisputed highlight of Lindell’s round was the eagle on the 10th hole, which gave him the chance to finish under par on Friday. After a good tee shot, he had around 250 metres left to the green, which Lindell hit to within about eight metres. Once the putt had dropped, he let out a sigh of relief, effectively sealing his place in the next round of the competition.
“I hit a 4-iron down in front of the green, and the bounce gave me a good chance for an eagle. It’s quite funny that the putt went in on that green, which is in rather poor condition. Tomorrow morning the conditions might be tough again, but on Sunday we’ll presumably be playing in easier conditions.”
Shane Lowry (-10) has been thrilling the home crowd at the top of the leaderboard, hole after hole, on Friday. The Irishman, who carded a 67 on Thursday, racked up an incredible eight birdies across ten holes today and has pulled four strokes clear of his challengers. Lindell, meanwhile, is currently just four strokes off the top ten.