Swede Jonas Blixt used to dream about playing in the Nordea Masters as a youngster, and now he is relishing his status as one of the favourites for the title this week.
The 30 year old finished runner up to Mikko Ilonen 12 months ago and will play alongside the Finn and Italian Matteo Manassero for the first two rounds at PGA Sweden National, as he looks to continue his fine form so far in 2014.
Blixt was runner up at the Masters Tournament and recorded another top 20 finish in last week’s BMW PGA Championship, and coupled with the home support he can expect in Malmö, he is understandably targeting a maiden European Tour victory.
“As a Swedish kid, growing up and being golf crazy, you watch this tournament and see all these Swedish superstars come back and play and you feel inspired,” he said. “You want to be there one day. You want to be one of the favourites yourself and have a chance to win the title. It’s nerve racking playing in front of the home crowd. You don’t want to let them down. It’s where I feel the most pressure to perform.
“The Masters gave me a lot of confidence being able to go up against the best players in the world. In the moment you don’t feel that much pressure – you feel more on a Friday afternoon trying to make the cut. I’m weird that way. I never really get too nervous at big tournaments as you know everyone will mess up somewhere so you just play your own game. This week is more pressure than Augusta for me. It’s weird.”
Blixt’s performances over the past 12 months have propelled him into The Ryder Cup reckoning, and victory this week would certainly underline his credentials. However, the World Number 35 is determined not to let thoughts of Gleneagles creep into his game and spoil his focus.
“Growing up you want to play the Masters and The Ryder Cup,” he said. It’s special for any golfer. I can’t really tell you how happy I would be. It’s where you want to be and it’s one of the dreams you have as a young kid. To reach that goal would be unbelievable, but you can’t let your mind wander too much. There is a lot of work to do.”
