Lindell's car sputtered at the front – a rear impact propelled it forward with a good position
Oliver Lindell had serious difficulties getting started in the second round. His greens and fairway hits were few and far between during the front nine, but on the back nine he was like a reborn player. The result after two rounds is -3, which puts him in 28th place.
Starting in the top ten, the round turned into a battle against the cut line when birdie opportunities failed to materialise. However, sticking to his game strategy paid off in the end, and he still has a chance to finish in the top spots.
"The first 10 holes were stressful. Everything went wrong. There were challenges with the wind, and even though I hit many good approach shots, not a single one landed where I wanted it to. I also had a string of bad swings at the beginning, which is why the round turned into a battle," Lindell said after the round.
The "back nine" of the Regnum Carya course starts on the 11th hole, and this is where the Finn's game turned around. The first good birdie opportunity came on the 11th hole, but the three-metre putt didn't find the cup. After teeing off on the 11th hole, however, Lindell uttered a relieved phrase: "Finally, the first golf shot of the day."
On the next hole (par 5), his second shot with a 3-iron was just a little too long, but he managed to make an easy birdie, which got the ball rolling.
"That's how it started on the 11th hole, and after that, the game resembled yesterday's good game. I held on well and managed to pull myself together. Now I'm in a good position for the weekend," said the Porvoo native about the turning point.
"On the last few holes, I just had to get the ball in play off the tee and get my approach shots in the middle of the green. Then two putts and a par, and I knew I was in."
He is still only three strokes off a top 10 finish. If his ball striking remains at this week's level, which has been excellent except for Friday's early round, the best finish of his career is still possible.
France's Martin Couvra (-11) took the lead in the tournament, showing good form. Wilco Nienaber, who played with Lindell for two days, is in a strong second place. Tapio Pulkkasen's journey ended with a +2/T101 result.
Oliver Lindell's start time on Saturday is 10:45 a.m., together with Julien Guerrier of France.