Jonas Blixt
| Team: | PGA Golfer |
| Age / DOB: | (33) / 4/24/1984 |
| Ht / Wt: | 5'10 / 164 |
In four-ball action, overnight leaders Jonas Blixt and Cameron Smith authored a bogey-free 8-under-par 34-30=64 in the final round of the Zurich Classic of New Orleans to post 27-under 261, and will head to a 2-man playoff on Monday at 8:00 am CT with playing competitors Kevin Kisner and Scott Brown, with Kisner holing out for eagle at the 72nd hole to force extra time. UPDATE: Blixt/Smith won with a Smith birdie on the fourth hole of sudden death, the 588-yard par-5 18th. For Blixt, it's his third TOUR title in 133 career starts and Smith claims a maiden title in his 53rd career start. Both players earn 2-year TOUR exemptions and a host of other goodies.
For a second year in a row, the Zurich is heading to an unscheduled Monday playoff. After kicking off in 67-62-68, the Florida residents led two teams by four shots, including Kisner/Brown. They relinquished their lead after just four holes, opening with four straight pars, while Kisner/Brown birdied their first four, eventually carding eight straight. Blixt broke the ice with a 45'5" bomb for birdie-3 at five and Smith circled the par-5 seventh to turn 2-under, now two behind. Smith went on a 3-birdie run on holes 10-12, the latter from 33'11", and they took birdie-turns at 16 and 17, Smith at the par-3 17th to take a 1-shot lead to the par-5 18th. It was Smith again at the 72nd hole, pitching from 57 yards away to 18 inches for a tap-in 4 and a sure win, but Kisner did him one better, improbably pitching in from 94'6" away for eagle-3. Blixt/Smith are blemish-free thru 72 holes. Apr 30 - 9:28 PM
Overnight leaders Jonas Blixt and Web.com Tour grad Cameron Smith maintained their mastery of TPC Louisiana, smoothing a bogey-free 4-under-par 34-34=68 in today's third round of the Zurich Classic of New Orleans, extending their lead to four on 19-under 197.
After kicking off in 67 (alternate shot) and 62 (best ball), the pairing began with a 1-shot lead over playing competitors Patrick Reed and Patrick Cantlay, who shot 75. Their 68 is just the second blemish-free lap on Day 3, and remain bogey-free thru 54 holes. Smith converted a 2-putt birdie-4 at the second and Blixt went back-to-back with a 17'8" birdie roll at the par-3 third. Blixt missed birdie at the par-5 seventh (from 4'2") but redeemed himself at the par-4 15th, hitting the approach to 39 inches for a Smith conversion. The pairing reached the par-5 18th in three, with Smith providing the finishing touches, jamming in a 17-foot birdie-4. Despite gusty conditions, they played virtually stress-free golf yet again. The only par putt they had to make outside of three feet all round was a 4'0" come-backer at the seventh. Apr 29 - 6:14 PM
Jonas Blixt and Cameron Smith maintained a clean card for the week by firing a bogey-free, 10-under-par 30-32=62 during round two of the Zurich Classic, staking their claim as the 36-hole clubhouse leaders on 15-under 129. UPDATE: With play completed, Blixt/Smith lead by one over Patrick Reed and Patrick Cantlay.
This duo opened the day just one stroke off the overnight co-leaders, firing a 5-under 67 while playing alternate shot. Today, the format moved to four-ball, and the pairing continued to shine. They started on the 10th tee and picked up four birdies before the turn, all coming on putts from 7-to-14 feet. After the turn, the fireworks started. Smith splashed home a 31'1" eagle putt on the par-5 second hole and five holes later Blixt would add a second eagle, this time from 27'2". It was a balanced effort as they each carded four of the team's eight total parbreakers. In addition to the scoring, Smith added a crucial 10'3" par saver at the third hole. That helped them maintain a clean card for the round, as well as the entire week. Having a 36-hole lead will be a new experience for the young Aussie who has been inside the top 10 just once after R2 in his PGA TOUR career. Blixt has one 36-hole co-lead (2012 Shriners), finishing solo third that week. Apr 28 - 1:22 PM
World No. 252 Jonas Blixt readies for his fifth Zurich Classic of New Orleans and partners with Aussie and World No. 112 Cameron Smith, who posted a T43 in his only appearance in 2015 (69-70-69-69).
The Swede finished T72 (of 82) at the weather-plagued edition last year. That followed a missed cut in 2015 (by two) and a 70th (of 71) in 2013. The newly minted 33-year-old's fall off at TPC Louisiana has been stark, considering he went for T13 on debut in 2012, but it does mirror his career trend pretty closely. Blixt's last of two TOUR titles came in 2013 and 2013 is also the last year he played on a National Team. He enters the week 153rd in the FedExCup standings batting .500 on the season (in 14 starts) and a couple top 25s. Smith (no team experience) checks in at 67th in FEC points, 12-for-15 on the season with two top 10s, including a season-best T6 last week at the VTO, where he was the only one of 39 first-timers to top 10. The duo, who both reside in the Jacksonville, Florida, area, is currently an 80/1 outright. Apr 26 - 2:05 PM