The long break from competition is over – the DPWT tour returns to China
There has been just one tournament on the DP World Tour since the previous event in China, even though more than a month has passed since then. As usual, The Masters meant a short break in the tour calendar. The break came at just the right time, as attention now turns to the upcoming long stretch of tournaments.
Oliver Lindell has been enjoying a break from competition in Finland this late spring. No major changes or deviations from the norm have been made during the training phase of what has been a promising start to the season. Various shafts were tried out for the driver, but the old shaft he had been using proved to be the best.
“It was great to be back home in Finland for a long spell and get some training in, but it’s nice to be back on the course again. I’ve worked a lot on my basic game – my swing – during the break, but nothing spectacular. I’ve got six competitions coming up over the next seven weeks, with just a week’s break in the middle of the competition run.”
Lindell already has experience of the Shanghai course from last year. Memories have been brought back in the usual way this season, with his own practice rounds and the Pro-Am on Wednesday. The Porvoo native, who is among this week’s hot names, plays Pro-Am events practically week in, week out, building up the tournament’s prize money.
“It rained during the Pro-Am, which made the greens considerably softer. They’ll certainly firm up quickly as the tournament progresses, though. As well as the rain showed up in the sky, there’s plenty of water on the course, as there are plenty of water hazards. Keeping the ball dry plays a major role. On many holes, a shot that misses to the wrong side can roll off the green and into the water,” said Lindell.
Lindell highlighted a slightly more unusual challenge from this week’s tournament and course. Often, the tricky spots are deep rough or undulating greens, week in, week out.
“The par-3s are tricky here. We just need to hit plenty of greens in regulation and manage to shoot pars, and then we’ll be in a good position.”
Lindell’s observation is absolutely correct, as three of last year’s four most difficult holes were indeed par-3s. Each of the course’s par-3s was played well over par.
The Finn will be joined on his opening round by Eugenio Chacarra, who finished second in the previous race in India, and Freddy Schott, who claimed victory in Bahrain. Their group is set to be one of the day’s most watched TV groups on Friday. The trio will start their opening round on Thursday from the tenth tee at 2.20 am Finnish time.