Lindell returns to the course in sweltering Italy after a stunning second-place finish – “Luckily, we get to play in shorts this week”
Oliver Lindell is returning to competitive action after a break of a few weeks, following the best tournament of his career. Lindell heads to the DS Automobiles 83° Open d’Italia in Turin from his highest-ever world ranking of 128th in his professional career. His second-place finish in his last tournament has also lifted him to 16th in the Race to Dubai rankings, putting him firmly in contention for a place on the PGA Tour.
“I’m really looking forward to getting back out on the course. I’ll have to work my socks off to qualify for the Scottish Open via the rankings. The biggest thing, though, would be to secure a place in The Open over the next two weeks. Between the next two tournaments, there’s still the Open final qualifying round early next week,” said Lindell.
No major tour-level competition has been held at Circolo Golf for 12 years. Judging by the 2014 event, we could well see some spectacular scores well under par in this competition, as the trophy was lifted that year with a total score of -20.
“A laid-back old parkland course with plenty of space. There are a few tricky holes, but the par-5s, on the other hand, offer opportunities. On practice days, the course has been soft, but it will firm up if watering can be reduced. The course is being put to the test in these temperatures.”
Central and Southern Europe have been in the grip of a fierce heatwave, and temperatures in Turin have also soared to nearly 40 degrees. As a result, there has been a rare exception to the competition rules, with players being granted special permission to play in shorts.
“It’s warm enough and, luckily, we’ll be able to play in shorts this week. That’s really rare – in fact, the temperature is set to be around 35 degrees. Luckily, there are plenty of trees on the course to provide some shade.”
Lindell’s improved ranking has propelled him back into the competition’s top tier. He will be joined by Casey Jarvis, who secured two consecutive victories this spring, and Kota Kaneko, who finished first and second in his last two starts. The trio will start the race on Thursday from 10th tee at 8.40 Finnish time.