Six hours, six shots into the fairway bunker and six putts that missed from within four metres – Lindell’s final round was a tough one
Oliver Lindell’s final round at St Andrews’ Old Course in the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship was a long and gruelling one. He was paired with David Law, but the round dragged on for as long as six hours in weather that was stormy at times.
It was, however, the day’s result that proved the most disappointing. Sunday’s round was largely a repeat of last year’s experience, with most of the approach shots played from the fairway bunkers, and well-positioned birdie opportunities repeatedly going wide. A birdie on the final hole was one of the day’s few successes, and a round score of +1 means a total score of -8 and a position around 40th.
“I hit the ball into the fairway bunker six times – some of the shots were poor, whilst others were good. On holes 7 and 12, I only realised when I reached the ball that it had sunk into the sand. My shots on the second and fifth holes veered too far to the right. In strong winds, even a small miss can prove fatal.”
Overall, the biggest challenges this week were once again on the greens, even though Lindell wasn’t at his sharpest off the tee on Sunday. His approach shots remained in excellent form despite the strong wind.
“I was strong on my approaches again, and created chances for myself. I missed six putts from within four metres, and that really took its toll in the cold and windy conditions. It’s tough to play for six hours and build up opportunities with top-class performances only to come away with nothing. The top players have really gone the distance in these conditions,” said Lindell, paying tribute to Tommy Fleetwood’s score of -8 on Sunday, amongst others.
It’s understandable to feel disappointed after a week like this, even though the Porvoo native once again managed to make it through to the weekend. However, he didn’t let it get him down, and he has no intention of resorting to a stopgap solution for his putting problems in the middle of the season’s most important tournaments, as he did this time last year. The next challenge is already coming up next week, and tomorrow he’ll be travelling to Spain.
“History is repeating itself here; it was the same story here last year. The following week, a year ago, I went to Madrid to try out some new putters. This year, I’m not planning to do that, as my putting feels good and the ball is going where I want it to. However, my pace or line lets me down when it comes to the actual shot,” mused Lindell.
“I’ll be travelling tomorrow, so Tuesday and Wednesday will give me time to get back into the swing of things on the Spanish golf courses. Then it’s back to square one.”
Poland’s Adrian Meronk (-21), who has moved to the Liv Tour, has risen to the top of the leaderboard and is fighting to retain his card on the DP World Tour. His winner’s category is “ageing”, which is why he is aiming to climb into the top 100 in the rankings to secure himself a job for next season amid these uncertain times.