The two best players will qualify for The Open in the Italian competition.
Rainy Finland has been left behind after Midsummer, and the DPWT caravan has travelled to sunny Italy. Oliver Lindell returns to a course where he has fond memories from last year's Challenge Tour. The Virvik native played the best round of the entire competition (62) and finished sixth in the tournament.
"It feels good to be back here in the 'bubble' after a couple of weeks off at home. The course is familiar from last year, but the 15th hole has been changed significantly – the tee has been moved forward and this year it is a par 4 instead of a par 5. I like the change. It's quite a special course; the game plan is to hit only one of the par 5 holes with two shots, and for the others, just hit an iron off the tee," Lindell says.
The Argentario golf course is once again a par 70 course, as the aforementioned change has been made for the competition. According to Lindell, the roughs on the course are tight in places. A lot will be decided on the greens during the week, so the Finnish player has spent a lot of time on the putting green. In addition, he has familiarised himself with the course by playing 27 holes in practice rounds.
"We've been focusing on putting again, and it's been going well during these practice days – we'll see how it goes in the competition, but at least the feeling is better. I've played nine holes and practised on all three days (Mon-Wed). The new irons didn't arrive in time for this week, but they've been ordered, and there's nothing wrong with the old ones anyway."
Lindell's iron play has been absolutely elite this season compared to the rest of the tour, and it is expected that if his tee shots are good and his putting is among the best in the field, the result could be excellent again. Adding extra spice to the competition are the two spots up for grabs for The Open, which will be played in July. The spots will go to the two highest-ranked players who have not yet secured a place in the competition.
The heatwave is set to continue throughout the week, with temperatures in Italy expected to be twice as high as those in Finland.
"It's warm here. We'll be able to wear shorts this week as the mercury rises above 30 degrees."
Lindell will tee off for his opening round on Thursday at 13:50 Finnish time. The draw formed a group of Nordic players, with Alexander Frances of Denmark and Björn Åkesson of Sweden as his playing partners. Lindell is the hottest player in the group, as he is still ranked among the top 300 in the world.