The Madrid course appeals to Lindell – a new putter will also be revealed from his bag
Oliver Lindell headed straight from Scotland to his last competition of the season before next month's DPWT finals. This week, the Open de España will be played in Madrid. Temperatures in Spain are naturally higher than in Scotland, which has been freezing in recent weeks, and the balls fly in a completely different way than in the British Isles.
"Now we are back at 600 metres above sea level, so the ball flies considerably further, especially in the afternoon. The course is a traditional 'treeline' course, meaning that the fairways are surrounded by clear tree lines. This suits my eye nicely, and the course is very clear and straightforward."
"There is some really tight rough at the edges of the fairways and greens, but if you miss the fairway by a fair margin, you'll find yourself in a sandy waste area. Then it's down to luck how you can continue from there – sometimes you might even get a basic shot," Lindell said of the week's course.
The Porvoo native has been hitting the ball commendably throughout the season. However, his performance on the greens has been inconsistent, so there will be a little equipment tinkering in this competition, as a new wedge will be seen in his bag. Lindell, however, kept it a mystery as to which tool will be seen in the Finn's hand on the green on Thursday.
"I've decided to try out a new putter this week, at least on Thursday. We'll see how it works. Today we spent more time on the putting green and practised. On Tuesday we played 18 holes in a practice round, as we spent the whole of Monday travelling. Everything has felt good, both on the practice round and in the putting practice," said Lindell.
In recent years, the Madrid competition has been a celebration for the Spanish. Domestic players have picked up as many as five wins from the previous six competitions in Spain. Jon Rahm is aiming for his fourth home victory this week, which would see him surpass the legendary Seve Ballesteros in terms of total wins. The rock-solid Spaniards will be challenged by Shane Lowry, who sank the decisive putt in the Ryder Cup, among others.
Lindell, ranked 165th in the world, will tee off on Thursday at 3 p.m. Finnish time. Playing in the same group for the first two days are Aaron Cockerill of Canada and Guido Migliozzi of Italy.