We caught up with two-time LET winner Minea Blomqvist as she competes at the 2010 Finnair Masters at Helsinki Golf Club. The 2008 event champion returns to play five months after the birth of her first son, Elmeri, on 31st March.

1. What are the best things about being at home in Finland?
Food and friends! I have been travelling for only six weeks so I have been away for six weeks this year and its nice getting to know your friends again. When you are travelling you call them or you see them one or two times a year but you don’t get close and you don’t really know how they are doing. A couple of my friends had kids as well this year so we have been talking about mum’s stuff.

2. What is your favourite Finnish food?
Candy. In Finland we have the best candy.

3. What is the first thing you do when you come back to Finland?
Usually I want to eat Finnish bread, which is brown and Finnish candy, Salmiakki (salted liquorice). I always go to see my grandparents and Roope’s parents and my parents. That’s the routine.

4. What are your favourite spots to hang out?
I love the Nuottaniemi, which is in Espoo. It’s by the sea and it’s very, very beautiful. Now I have a little son I have been walking there a lot. I love that place and Finnish cities as well. Home is home, always.

5. Where do you practise?
I practise at a lot of different places, a lot of different courses in Espoo and there are a couple of really good golf courses one hour from Helsinki called Kytäyä and Vanajanlinna, those are kind of the two best quality golf courses in Finland. Sometimes I will drive but it takes one hour from my home. Espoo is the best place with the little son now.

6. How do you practise and schedule your day, now that you have a baby?
I would probably spend some time on short game practise for two or three hours. A little competition with somebody else practising is always fun and you take nine holes, you get nine points or something and then you take lunch and play nine holes. That would be the perfect one.

7. Who will be looking after your son Elmeri?
‘Elmo’ is the nickname. Roope is home this week but he will be practising as well so it’s going to be my parents and Roope’s parents this week. Roope’s sister has been a key helper early in the week. My boyfriend is coming on Saturday and Sunday and Elmo is coming every day. Now I have a nanny and she will start work in one week.

8. What is your schedule for the rest of the season?
I will play two or three events in the US and maybe Dubai so this year is based on practise, getting better with your game and hopefully I can do that, get my swing in better shape this winter with my coaches Pia Nilsson and Lynn Marriott and Timo Rauhalla.

9. What is your schedule for next year?
I will try to play a full season so I can play all of the tournaments in the US and then I will play the rest of the tournaments in Europe, which would mean 21 events, so eight here and 13 over there, something like that.

10. How do you hope to perform this week?
I think this week is important for the game of golf and I hope I can enjoy it. The last two years have been good so I hope I can get a great feeling and enjoy it and then I think I will score well.

11. Do you have a chance to win?
Yes. I think if you have a great feeling and you can see the shots and you can feel it inside yourself, I think I can play good golf.

12. Do you like playing in front of the home galleries?
Yes, I love it. A lot of my friends are coming and this is great. It’s a bigger and bigger tournament every year and more people and exciting for the golfer.