Who is Jonas Blixt? All you need to know about the Swedish golfer shining at John Deere Classic 2023
Out of nowhere, Jonas Blixt's name started to spread on the internet. He is putting on a blistering show at John Deere Classic 2023 and is currently leading the leaderboard on day 1.
Blixt,39, is a Swedish professional golfer. Despite being associated with the PGA Tour, he has not earned enough attention.
Prior to entering the TPC Deere Run, he had won three tournaments on the American golf circuit.
Last week, Jonas Blixt missed the cut by three shots on the @KornFerryTour.
He currently leads by three after tying his career low round @JDClassic.
Golf. https://t.co/ThfjxoZpxu
Exploring John Deere Classic 2023 star golfer Jonas Blixt's life and career
Sharing his birthday with legendary Indian cricketer Sachin Tendulkar, Jonas Blixt was born on April 24, 1984, in Nassjo. However, he grew up in Karlstad, a Varmland province, as his parents shifted there in his early days.
Starting up playing golf early in his childhood, Blixt became one of the most promising young talents. In 2003, he won the Swedish Junior Stroke-play Championship and the Nordic Championship. Then, in 2005, he won the Swedish Junior Match-play Championship.
Jonas Blixt was part of Florida State University during his collegiate level. At that time, he went on to win four college-level tournaments. His exceptional performances earned him the all-Nicklaus honor in 2008.
After a successful amateur career, Blixt decided to turn pro in 2008. He competed on Nationwide Tour in his initial professional days. Finally, consecutive decent performances over the years earned him his PGA Tour card in 2012.
Blixt was forced to miss two months of the 2012 PGA season due to a rib injury. But the golfer came back strong and finally registered his first victory on the American golf circuit after winning the Frys.com Open. He defeated the likes of Jason Kokrak and Tim Petrovic by a margin of one shot.
The following year, Jonas Blixt won his second PGA Tour title after coming out victorious in the Greenbrier Classic. In the same year, he played in his first PGA Championship. He put on an inspirational performance to finally end fourth on the leaderboard.
In 2014, he made his Masters Tournament debut. Interestingly, the Swedish golfer finished tied second with Jordan Spieth to jump to his career-high - No. 33 in the Official World Golf Rankings.
Jonas Blixt had a rough patch of time until 2017. Despite playing regularly, he failed win numerous competitions. At the Zurich Classic of New Orleans, he partnered with Cameron Smith to win his third PGA Tour title. The duo defeated the pair of Scott Brown and Kevin Kisner.
Despite having a rollercoaster start to his golf career, Blixt lost his shine over the years. The golfer had a forgettable 2017-18 season. In 23 tournaments, he had registered just one top 25 finish on the leaderboard.
Later on, in the 2018-19 season, Jonas Blist was almost on the verge of losing his PGA Tour card. On the FedEx Cup points table, he was on 124th rank. Then in the following season, he had several medical issues, resulting in him participating in only eight tournaments.
In the 2022-23 season, Jonas Blixt missed the cut in nine out of 14 tournaments he played collectively on the PGA Tour, the DP World Tour, and the Korn Ferry Tour.
Shoot a career low round ✅
Go to the zoo ✅
Life is good for leader Jonas Blixt @JDClassic 😊 https://t.co/DUgSF93uzB
However, the golfer is having a great time at John Deere Classic 2023 and must be looking to maintain a better lead as the tournament progresses.