Jonas Blixt eager for more after finishing 2nd

Jonas Blixt wouldn’t mind if the first round of the next Mas­ters Tournament were held today.

“I learned a lot today, a lot more new experiences, and can’t wait to come back,” he said Sunday after his third 71 in a row earned him a second-place tie with fellow Mas­ters rookie Jordan Spieth at 5-under-par 283, three shots behind winner Bubba Watson.

“To shoot under-par at Au­gusta National on a Sun­day … I should be pretty happy,” Blixt said. “Bubba played better. I got beat, and he deserved to win.”

Blixt, a native of Sweden who settled in Florida after attending Florida State, has proved a quick study in majors. He has played in three, with a tie for 26th in the British Open and a solo fourth in the PGA Cham­pion­ship last season.

“I think they are a lot of fun to play,” he said. “It’s really tough. You can beat your head in a little bit but you can’t beat yourself up too bad.”

Blixt, the only player to shoot under par each round, put on the best performance in the Masters by a Swedish player. Peter Hanson tied for third in 2012.

Blixt began Sunday one shot out of the lead and, through five holes, was two shots back. When he turned at 4-under, he was three shots behind Watson. He drew within two shots with a birdie at No. 13 but parred out after that.

“I played decently … I hit the driver a lot better but I didn’t give myself enough opportunities to make birdies,” Blixt said.

Though he didn’t have enough birdie looks for a late charge, he also didn’t beat himself. He finished the tournament without a three-putt, tying for first among players in the weekend field with Miguel Angel Jimenez.

Blixt said one thing he learned was to pace himself during a round.

“I think I got a little quick … that’s about it,” he said. “I really tried to make birdies, but I tried a little bit too hard at times. I don’t feel like the moment really got to me, but there were a couple of good swings that were a little quick and I didn’t execute as good as I wanted.”

Blixt had the distinction of tying Spieth as the low first-time Masters player, heading a record number of 24 participants experiencing their first competitive rounds at Augusta National. Though Blixt said the issue of first-time players might have been overblown this week, he said it doesn’t mean he’s discounting experience.

“Playing with Ben Cren­shaw (in the first two rounds), he knows where to miss it and where to chip it from,” Blixt said. “I learned a lot from him. He’s still got the short game. You learn something new at Augusta National every day. It’s a tough test.”