The DP World Tour faces a three-course challenge, culminating at the legendary St. Andrews Old Course.
Oliver Lindell returns to competitive action on Thursday after a two-and-a-half-week break. His comeback will take place where the sport originated, in the legendary surroundings of St Andrews in Scotland. However, the Old Course at St Andrews will not be the only venue for the competition. During the first three days, players will get to play three top courses: Carnoustie Golf Links, Kingsbarns Golf Links and the Old Course, where the competition will culminate on Sunday for those who make the cut.
St Andrews Golf Club is the first golf club in history, and the Old Course is the third oldest course in the world. Each of the competition courses is among the 25 best courses in the world, so the setting is spectacular.
"You can really feel that this is a historic place – especially on the Old Course. With the next few years in mind, it's good that all the courses have been played in the form of practice rounds. The Old Course is a really easy course in calm weather, fairly simple and with really big greens. Carnoustie is clearly the toughest course. There are bunkers on every fairway. Overall, all three courses are really neat," said Lindell.
Since 2001, the legendary tournament has featured a Pro-Am-style pairs competition in addition to the actual competition, in which each competitor also plays a Better Ball competition with their amateur partner. The pairs are often public figures or distinguished individuals from the business world. Many family members of the players have also been seen in the competition, even as winners.
The spirit of the competition is likely to change after two days, as gusts of over 20 m/s are forecast for Saturday. The links courses, which are easy to play for Lindell, can become very challenging in strong winds.
"The practice rounds have been played in mild weather. The competition is expected to be really tough in places, especially on Saturday. My own game feels good, but it will be a grind when the weather is challenging. I'm really looking forward to this special competition."
The list of participants in the competition is once again rock solid. Four players from Europe's victorious Ryder Cup team will be taking part. Among them is Tyrrell Hatton, who is defending his title from last year. Hatton has won the competition three times, more than anyone else.
Lindell will start his competition on Thursday at 11:22 a.m. Finnish time at the Kingsbarns course. Lindell's playing partner in the team competition is Gerard Rupert, whose background he knew nothing about.