Finland's Blomqvist breaks the ice on course, off

EDINA, Minn. -- They're hanging on wall pegs in the tennis center at Interlachen Country Club, arrayed by size.

Minea Blomqvist played better than she expected in Round 2 of the Open. (AP)

They look like oversized tennis rackets, minus the handles, with a few tie straps added for good measure. Upon seeing them, most folks in town for the week have had the same reaction, something akin to, "What the bloody heck are those things?"

No doubt, Minea Blomqvist would recognize them in a heartbeat -- as Scandinavian winter footwear.

The charismatic 23-year-old is hoping to create some snowshoe-sized footprints in a sport most of her Finnish countrymen haven't much embraced after a 4-under 69 in the second round of the U.S. Women's Open on Friday moved her to within one stroke of the early lead.

That there's a Scandinavian threatening to win at Interlachen is no great surprise. Sweden's Annika Sorenstam and Norway's Suzann Pettersen are ranked Nos. 2 and 3 in the world, and they hail from the land of the Vikings; people from the area first settled in the Minnesota area centuries ago.

But it's the fetching, pint-sized Blomqvist, all of 5-feet-4, who stole the Nordic thunder at Interlachen, then truly brought the hammer down afterward, where she reeled off some of the funniest LPGA material of the year.

Blomqvist is the second-most famous golfer in her country, behind Mikko Ilonen, who won twice last year on the men's European Tour. Of course, being a famous Finnish golfer is like owning the best Mexican restaurant in Nome. It's mostly about that other sport with a bent stick, hockey, back home.

"I hope I can get a little piece in the newspaper," she said.

Speaking of feats and feet, snow drifts were a huge hurdle growing up. The brief golf season lasts from March to September, but in the summer, the sun almost never goes down. So the Finns try to make up for lost time, and it wasn't unusual for her to play until 3 a.m. in the summer.

"So you play three rounds in a day," she said.

Have you driven a fjord lately? Putted on tundra bentgrass? Blomqvist has. For whatever reason, the Finnish development in the game has lagged behind the other Scandinavian countries, especially Sweden, which has produced two different U.S. Women's Open winners, while another Swede, veteran Helen Alfredsson, is among the leaders this week.

Blomqvist offered a theory on that front.

"I always tell a story about why the Swedes are so good in golf," she said, laughing. "Because in golf, you need an empty mind, and there's nothing going on in their heads, so that's why they play good."