The long-awaited Danish "home game" is approaching – Lindell, Välimäki and Pulkkanen will be competing in the same tournament for the first time in a long time.
On Thursday, Oliver Lindell will tee off in one of the most anticipated competitions of the season. He himself has referred to the Danish Golf Championship as his home competition. This is the closest he will get to Finland on the main tour, and most importantly, the Finnish man is in excellent form.
"It's nice not to have to fight against the wind this week to stay upright. The environment on the course feels almost like home, just like in Finland. Next week I'll be taking a break in Finland, as the competition calendar for the rest of the season will be quite tight. A top 5 finish would be good, and now there's a good chance of that, as I don't have to play 'cautiously'. Of course, I don't want to miss the cut, but I can play a little more riskily, without being stupid," says Lindell.
Lindell is by no means the only Finnish name in the competition this week, as the list of participants also includes Tapio Pulkkanen and, to the surprise of many, Sami Välimäki, who qualified for the PGA Tour finals. Also participating in the Danish competition are, among others, the twin brothers Rasmus and Nicolai Hojgaard, who shone in last year's Ryder Cup.
"This group has never played together on the DP World Tour, but in 2017, all three played in the Challenge Tour in Vierumäki. I remember that we were all also in the Austrian tournament in 2020."
Last week in Scotland, the course was very challenging, especially in the prevailing conditions with strong winds. This week's conditions are considerably easier, but Lindell himself does not consider the course to be any easier. Emil Markus, Lindell's caddie, describes the course as a "dartboard".
"If the weather here were similar to last week, I would consider the course in Denmark even more difficult. Takaysi is really challenging. It starts with a nearly 500-metre par 4 (par 5 for club players). The first three holes are challenging. You have to play quite conservatively off the tee, which means you have to hit a hook onto the green. The 10th hole in particular will be one of the most difficult holes of the year. You can score well on the front nine, and there will certainly be a clear difference between the scores on the front and back nines. It is important to get off to a good start tomorrow, and it is good to be able to start from the first hole. There will certainly be many players in the back nine who are well over par after the first few holes," Lindell said.
If the preparations in Scotland last week were unusual to say the least, not everything went smoothly on the flight to Denmark either. Lindell's equipment, including his clubs and clothing, did not arrive in Denmark until Tuesday, which meant that the practice round had to be split between Tuesday and Wednesday, with nine holes at a time.
Lindell will tee off for his opening round at 9:40 a.m. Finnish time, together with Joakim Lagergren and Tom Lewiksen.