My swing improved, but my putting deteriorated, and the latter was reflected in the scoreboard.
In golf, how you feel and how you play does not necessarily correlate with the result, as many people know. Oliver Lindell was not entirely satisfied with his ball striking on the opening day, but the scoreboard told a different story. On the second day, the Finn sharpened his game, especially off the tee, but the result was a sharp decline.
Conditions were easier in the morning than yesterday, which is also reflected in the leaders’ scores. However, Lindell was unable to take full advantage of the calmer weather and is already anticipating a windier round tomorrow, which could shake up the leaderboard once again.
“No major difference from yesterday, I hit my drives better and didn’t make any big mistakes. However, that meant we were right beside the fairway in the worst rough, which is difficult to play from. On the fourth fairway, for example, I was a few metres off the fairway and couldn’t get to the green, unlike when you hit from 40 metres off the fairway from the desert, where you can almost hit it in the hole. When you’re properly off the fairway, there’s no problem,” said Lindell, describing the tricky design of the course.
A round score of +2 brings his total score down to -3, which currently puts him in 16th place. The weaker result can largely be explained by a colder putter. Lindell, who started the day in the lead, was unable to capitalise on birdie opportunities as he did yesterday, and even had a few rare three-putts.
“I hit the ball well, but unlike yesterday, I missed every put. My putting itself was good, and I got the ball on line, but many of them fell short. Since January, it has been challenging to get to grips with slow greens that don’t have the same rolls in the end as those in the Middle East. From a distance of 15 metres, I had two three-putt greens when my opening putts went a couple of metres too long.”
“The grass is uneven on the greens, and the greens are soft, which is why I haven’t been able to hit very close to the flag. When putting, the ball also bounces a bit,” Lindell explained.
The three best players without an Open spot will have the opportunity to earn one in this tournament. The chase took a slight hit on Friday, but in more challenging conditions, anything is still possible.
“Strong winds are forecast for tomorrow, so if you manage to get a few strokes below par, that will give you a chance on Sunday. The wind has already reached yesterday’s levels this afternoon. My game hasn’t changed much from yesterday, so I’m not worried about that. You can’t get birdies if the putts don’t drop, and bogeys start to appear on the card.”
Italy’s Francesco Laporta rose to the top of the very even leaderboard with a score of -10.