Lindell shot five under par on Munich’s par-5 holes – “A top result considering how I played off the tee”
Oliver Lindell put in a strong performance on his opening round in Germany, despite facing exceptional difficulties, particularly off the tee. A score of -3 puts him in joint 38th place, and with just one better shot he would already be in the top 20. The reality of the opening day is that, apart from a bit of bad luck with a good drive ending up in the water, he didn’t really leave a single shot on the course.
“The result is brilliant considering how I was hitting the ball off the tee today. My best drive of the day landed on the foregreen of the 16th green, but then rolled backwards into the water. I hit a couple of drives to the left early on, and after that I played it too safe on the right side.”
Hole 16 is a par-4 hole of around 300 metres, where it is possible to hit the ball straight over the water onto the green. Lindell managed to card his second par of the day on this hole, which included a penalty stroke.
The par-5s were completely under Lindell’s control on the opening day, as he carded a combined score of -5 on the four par-5 holes. On the first of these, he scored an eagle after his opening shot landed in the rough. Of Thursday’s tee shots, only three found their way onto the fairway, so approach shots had to be played repeatedly from the rough.
The positive aspect of the day was the good short game and putting, which kept the score respectable. There were plenty of top-class par saves, particularly at the start of the round.
“I putted really well, even though the greens were really bumpy. They get quite mushy in the afternoon.”
It is clear from the results list that the course became more difficult as the day went on. This was largely down to the condition of the greens. Three of the top four players, all from South Africa, played their rounds in the morning. Of these, Jayden Schaper and Hennie Du Plessis both carded a score of -8, putting them in joint first place after the opening day.
The Finn’s clear number one objective for this week is to rack up as many points as possible relative to his toughest rivals for a place at The Open. The top five players in the rankings who have not yet secured a place will earn one for themselves after the tournament in Munich. Lindell started this week in fourth place amongst these players, so his position remains strong.
A place in the Open hasn’t really been on the Porvoo native’s mind during the competition; instead, he’s aiming to put in his best performance, and on Sunday we’ll see how far that takes him.
“I haven’t really given it much thought today, at least. It’ll go how it goes. We’re still right up there with the leaders, especially as we get to do a lap first thing tomorrow morning,” said Lindell.
Lindell will tee off on the second round from the 10th tee at 9.10 Finnish time.