Lucas Bjerregaard hit a tee shot Friday on the 7th hole at Belfry.
Getty Images
The first question was order.
“Seven birds and an eagle today. What goes through your mind when things are going so well?”
“Yes, I was in the area and things just got a little easier today,” said Lucas Bjerregaard, “and yes, I hope for more days like that.”
The second question then went a little deeper.
Bjerregaard was speaking in the so-called Green Room, a platform created by the DP World Tour, and its awkward format: a computer-generated questioner and a yellow chair to relax and answer. Some experts have entered. On Friday, after the second round of the British Masters, Bjerregaard made a logical choice.
He had just shot a blistering six-under 66 at the Belfry, and was just behind the lead entering the weekend. But it’s been a while since the 33-year-old Dane has been in such a place. In 2017, he won the Portugal Masters. A year later, he won the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship. In 2019 and 2020, he crossed the pond to play PGA Tour events. But golf is fickle. This year, Bjerregaard has been playing events on the Challenge Tour, a circuit just below the DP World Tour.
And the voice of Green Room wanted to know about everything.
What followed was raw honesty. Below is the interview. Below is the back and forth, questions in italics, and some additional thoughts.
“He has been on the Challenge Tour this year, but he has played very well in the last two weeks. How do you explain that?”
“I don’t know, I think it’s been coming a little bit,” said Bjerregaard. “I had three top players on the Challenge Tour before last week, so obviously the game has been trending a bit. Before that, there wasn’t much to point towards any positive outcome. I think I was probably on the verge of giving up a little bit, and I think that helped me to go out and play more freely and not worry too much about it.”
You’re right about the top 10 – from last month at the Black Desert NI Open, Bjerregaard tied for seventh, eighth, eighth and second. But that was followed by a 2023 campaign in which he only had a top-25 season.
“If you don’t mind, can you tell us a few years ago? What if it doesn’t go well?”
“I’m not sure what the reason is,” said Bjerregaard. “I think it’s a snowball effect of a lot of things. I think my skills weren’t good enough, and my confidence is definitely nowhere near where it was when I was growing up. It’s been tough, no doubt. I felt so alone. I felt like I was desperately searching for answers and finding none and it felt like the harder I tried, the less successful I was. At the beginning of the year, I hurt my back vacuuming at home and I had two, two and a half months when I couldn’t play, and it was a dark time when I thought maybe I should do something else than play golf, so again. , maybe I had to go there before I started playing better again.”
“He said he almost gave up the game. What gave you the motivation to continue?”
“Maybe my wife and children,” said Bjerregaard. “Most of the things I do I do for them. They have supported me, and I think it would be wrong to stop. My wife has stood behind me through all of this, and it’s been hard as a family to go through it, but she believes in me and I have a great group of people at home who believe in me and help me as much as possible. they can do it, and I think I have to give it my all.”
Bjerregaard’s wife is Henriette; his children are Josephine and Noah.
“Thank you for being open and honest. Nice to see you playing well. Goodbye, Lucas.”
“Thank you.”
Source link
