Lindell shot his way to third place with five consecutive birdies! – "Incredible putting"
Oliver Lindell started the 2026 season with a top round (68/-3) at Dubai Creek Resort. Those following the results service were able to admire Lindell’s name at the top of the leaderboard throughout the round, right up until the final hole. The Finn was tied for the lead with Rory McIlroy throughout the competition until the final hole.
On the most challenging final hole of the course, Lindell made a rare double bogey through the water. However, he currently shares an impressive third place with Matt Wallace and McIlroy.
“The worst possible headwind on the last fairway, i.e. wind from the direction of the shot at 10:30. It’s the worst possible wind, and I didn’t dare to start the opening shot far enough to the left over the water, so the opening shot ended up being a swim. The wind was completely opposite to what it had been during the practice rounds. However, it was just one bad shot. There were a lot of good shots today. A good start to the competition,” said Lindell.
The top round included a few really difficult missed shots, so despite the good result, there were also some difficulties. A brilliant day with the putter was the biggest factor in the opening round result.
“It was incredible putting, I have no idea where this kind of putting day came from. I’ve practised putting a lot, and at the moment it’s coming from a different position compared to before. I’ve managed to get the putter head to rest better and I got the ball rolling well today. It felt like I could putt from anywhere. I missed a couple of shots badly to the right, so I still need to work on my swing.”
A particularly hot streak came after the halfway point of the round, when Lindell hammered home five consecutive birdies and got completely into the flow. The hot streak nearly ended on the 16th hole, where Lindell sank an eight-metre par putt, contrary to the scoreboard. Unfortunately, there were several errors on the scoreboard today, and it cannot be fully trusted this week either.
“I hit the 16th hole (par 3) into an unplayed spot. I couldn’t get any closer from the bunker on the short side, but I got the longest putt of the day. I hit myself into similar spots a few times. My bunker shot on the last hole could have ended up in the water, so I left it clearly short.”
“The bogey putt on the sixth hole was also two metres, not 20 metres as the scoreboard shows,” Lindell corrected.
The Porvoo native will start his second round from a great position, right near the top of the leaderboard. Friday’s start time is 7:52 a.m. Finnish time from tee 10.