SILVIS (Ill.) — You’re not alone if you were surprised to see Jonas Blixt at the top of the leaderboard for the 2023 John Deere Classic on Thursday. Blixt didn’t see it coming.
He said, “Oh absolutely not,” with a smile. This was after tying his lowest round of the career and signing for a nine-under 62. “I took six weeks off from golf and spent a lot of time with my swing coach at home.
He continued, “At this stage, when you’re not confident in your game, you’ll just go out and swing at something and that’s exactly what happened.” “I mean, 62 is not something that happens very often on the PGA Tour. At least, not for me. It’s a great achievement. “I’m extremely happy about it.”
It’s not without reason. Blixt is struggling to find his form following a back operation in 2019. He has not been in contention for the Charles Schwab Challenge since finishing fifth in that event. Blixt missed five cuts in his eight starts this season. He has also finished T-20, T64, and 72. Blixt ranked 210th on the FedEx Cup standings at the start of the week.
After a few tweaks, with the help from his swing coach he found something that he can repeat and could extend his season. Blixt would be projected to move up to 70th position if he wins on Sunday. He is right on the edge of qualifying for the FedEx Cup Playoffs’ first leg.
You must be feeling some extra pressure the rest of the day, right? Wrong.
Blixt explained, “I’ve reached a point in my season when I’m so late and don’t really feel any pressure and just kind of swing at it.” Golf is strange. Tomorrow I’ll be able to shoot 100, but today I had a good day.”
“I’ve been doing this first round for many years. I know how to handle the pressure. Do I feel happy with a first round of 9-under? Absolutely. “I’m pumped about it,” said he. But does it mean anything at all? Not at all. Not for us. “What matters is the back nine of Sunday.”
Blixt knows. The 39-year old Swede has seen his fame wane over the last few years, but he is still a three time winner. He won his first professional title after only 19 starts in the 2012 Frys.com Open. (Now known as the Fortinet Championship). In 2014, he finished second with Jordan Spieth at his first Masters and won two more tournaments in 2013 Greenbrier Classic (now known as the Zurich Classic of New Orleans) and 2017. He and Cameron Smith did not make a single bogey during the week and went on to win the playoff against Kevin Kisner & Scott Brown. He’s experienced and knows how to handle a situation.
The @KornFerryTour had a three-shot cutoff last week for Jonas Blixt.
He is currently leading by three points after tying the lowest round of his career @JDClassic.
Golf. pic.twitter.com/ThfjxoZpxu
— PGA TOUR July 6, 2020
Every time you enter the mix, it’s a sign that you are doing something right. Blixt said, “If you don’t do it, you will learn something.” No matter what happens to me, I’ll learn something. “I will carry the experience with me.”
Blixt has a great way of speaking, is as humble as they come and is realistic about his current position in the game. He’s not played in many events this year, and will be the first to admit that he didn’t deserve to.
“Elite sport is very competitive and if you do not perform well, you should not be playing. I believe there should be a “cut” in every tournament. That’s just part of the game. This puts you under pressure. “I think that if you do not play well enough, the people will not want to watch you either,” he said.
“I’ve not played well enough and I don’t think people would want to see that.” There are better players than me for that. “No, I’ve been working hard to improve so that I can be the guy people want to watch on TV.”
J.T. Poston won the title on Sunday after a nine-under-62 opening round last year at TPC Deere Run. Blixt will likely be watched by many golf fans on Sunday afternoon if history repeats itself.
