Lindell’s dazzling run of cuts has come to an end – “Off to the barber’s, then, and all eyes on Dunhill”
25 consecutive cuts. That figure includes Oliver Lindell’s incredible run, which came to an end at the BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth. Technically speaking, Lindell did not miss the cut 25 tournaments ago in Scotland, as the final round of that tournament was not played. However, in terms of his position on the leaderboard, he was on the wrong side of the cut line, so the number that goes down in the history books is 25, not 32. The Finn has been seen competing at tournaments every weekend for 32 consecutive tournaments, which equates to 14 months.
Poor putting was the main reason behind this week’s disappointing result. After the opening day, Lindell was third from the bottom in the tournament’s putting statistics. He had to go on the offensive in the second round, as it was clear that his round would need to be at least three strokes under par. This was evident at the start of the round, with a series of exceptional misses.
“My first tee shot hit a tree and bounced into the middle of the trees, to a spot where I couldn’t hit from, so I had to take a drop. My tee shot on the third hole went wide, and my approach shot ended up in the trees. My third shot flew off as a flyer almost straight back to an unplayable spot, and a double bogey was on the cards. It was a mixed day, but I putted well for the first time in ages,” Lindell recalled.
The triple bogey on the final hole was largely a matter of formality, as it was already certain at that stage that he would miss the cut and finish outside the points. Before the final hole, the Porvoo player’s round was exactly even par, but with the triple bogey, the day’s total stood at +3. A total score of +4 means a finish in 120th place.
“On the final hole, I set off from the fairway bunker to challenge the green with two, which was certainly a possibility. The ball didn’t rise high enough and penetrated into the lip of bunker. I knew I was facing elimination even at that stage. I had a few chances on the back nine, but they didn’t go in.”
Even the most consistent players on tour have their off days. This was demonstrated by Masters winner and Race to Dubai leader Patrick Reed. Having started the second day at -4, close to the lead, Reed carded a +9 on the front nine and withdrew from the round after his tee shot on the 10th hole flew into the crowd. This may have been due to an injury sustained on the previous hole, where Reed’s club struck the base of a tree or a stump.
In the midst of a strong season, there is certainly no cause for panic, and the battle for a PGA Tour card, amongst other things, has not added any extra pressure. Lindell admitted that this week was simply a poor performance, the sort that is bound to happen to everyone at some point.
“Things went terribly at the start, and it was a struggle to get back into the game. I created some decent chances for myself, but I couldn’t convert them from close range. The result was deserved; it was a really poor performance. It’s certainly frustrating to put in such poor performances in these tournaments, where things went so well last year. Nothing for it but a trip to the barber’s, and then it’s all eyes on the Dunhill,” Lindell summed up.
Ryan Gerard, ranked 21st in the world and a PGA Tour player, took the lead in the competition with a score of -12.