My Favorite Course: Jonas Blixt
Jonas Blixt is a six-year golf pro with three professional wins to date. Originally from Sweden, he got his start at Florida State, earning first-team All-American honors in 2008. Blixt turned pro later that year, and eventually made the PGA Tour in 2012. After a few strong showings, he won the Frys.com Open, his 19th start on the Tour. Blixt won the Greenbrier Classic the next year and tied for second at the 2014 Masters. At 30 years of age, he's currently ranked 45th in the world and 88th in the FedEx Cup standings.
CBS Local Sports sat down with Jonas Blixt to discuss his favorite golf course and hole and what he does to get ready for a tournament.
Watch Fan Essentials: My Favorite Course.
CBS Local Sports: How would you define your on-the-course playing style?
Blixt: My on-the-course playing style is a little aggressive. Just a lot of imagination. You know if I can get on the green or around the green I’m usually pretty good, so... Just trying to get as close to the green as possible in the fewest amount of shots, and see if I can score.
CBS Local Sports: What is your favorite club to hit and why?
Blixt: My favorite club to hit is my Lavrich, because you can hit so many shots with it. You can be very creative. You can it hit low, you can hit high, you can spin it… you know, have top spin on it. You can, yeah it’s just so versatile and you can always use your imagination to come up with new shots so that’s what I like about it.
CBS Local Sports: What did you do with your first big winnings check?
Blixt: My first big winnings check, I bought a new car. My Ford Mustang that I had in college has seen better days. And it was, getting a little crammed and I needed something to put my golf clubs in and my new car just fit everything I needed.
CBS Local Sports: What is your favorite course to play?
Blixt: My favorite course to play is Pebble Beach. It's just a special feeling walking around there looking at it, to the ocean and it’s just beautiful. And it's breathtaking to be out there.
CBS Local Sports: What’s your favorite golf hole?
Blixt: Favorite golf hole is probably 17 at Cypress Point. Same thing there you know the views are spectacular and it’s also a good looking hole and it’s not a long hole but you’ve got everything you need to make it challenging. It’s just a special place.
CBS Local Sports: Do you have any pregame rituals?
Blixt: Um my pregame rituals, I mean it’s pretty much the same thing every day. I get out to the golf course between an hour and a half and two hours and eat a little bit. And then warm up and then go putting, chipping, and then I hit balls and then I tee off.
CBS Local Sports: Being one of the top golfers in the world what do you credit your amazing career and success to?
Blixt: Hard work. What I credit my success to is my hard work. I always worked hard I think and I continued doing it. You know if you don’t work hard you’re gonna get lapped, so... That’s what I need to do.
CBS Local Sports: When and how did you first start playing golf?
Blixt: I started playing golf with my dad. He took me out to the golf course and he’s a huge golf fan. I remember waiting for my dad coming home from work so he could take me out to the golf course. And I just fell in love with the game in a way and still love it now. Twenty-something plus years later.
CBS Local Sports: What was it like playing in this year’s Players Championship?
Blixt: Playing in the Players Championship is, it’s just special. It is a fifth major, it’s huge. There’s a lot of people here. I know a lot of people now, and going out there on your home golf course, where you kind of know what you need to do, it’s a cool feeling. It’s just a special week, being at home, seeing a lot of people. It’s a little stressful cause you don’t want to mess up. It’s a little different than other tournaments but trying to relax and play well, it’s not as easy as it might seem.
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