Lindell's round interrupted by harsh conditions – "My mini driver flew 160 metres"
Oliver Lindell played 16 holes in harsh conditions on Friday at St. Andrews Old Course until play was suspended on the 17th green. The Porvoo native had a challenging day, finishing his round at +4 before the suspension. The front nine (holes 10-18) were particularly challenging, as Lindell was unable to get his birdie putts to drop and ended up with four bogeys on his card.
"I ended up in practically every bunker today. I hit good shots, not a single bad shot ended up in the bunkers. From the sixth hole onwards, the rain and wind started to pick up. By the end, it had nothing to do with golf anymore. On the last hole of the day, a 160-metre par 3, I hit a mini driver right on the flag," Lindell reported.
In particular, the tee shots that ended up in the fairway bunkers had a severe impact on the result. The late start meant more time on the course in deteriorating conditions. The conditions also had an impact on the overall decline in performance, but Lindell also suffered from an unfortunate accident.
"My umbrella broke in the middle of the round, and all my gear was soaked and my shoes were full of water. Takaysi was therefore quite a struggle and a fight to the finish."
Lindell will continue his round on Saturday at 10:00 Finnish time. The third round will start with a shotgun start at 14:30. Lindell will play Carnoustie Links as his final course before the cut.
Leading the competition are home favourite and two-time Ryder Cup star Robert MacIntyre and South Africa's Richard Sterne with a score of -12. Close behind them is Tapio Pulkkanen with a score of -10 (T4). Pulkkanen started the round with five birdies on his first six holes.