The journey from football fan to the treatment room of Dr. Müller-Wohlfahrt the former Bayern Munich team doctor does not usually involve playing professional golf – or being a lifelong Borussia Dortmund supporter.
For Alexander Knappe, however, there was little alternative but to seek help from his team’s rivals as last year he sought a remedy for a bad back that threatened his fledgling golfing career.
The decision was among the best the German has made as, one year later, he graduated to the European Tour after an outstanding campaign on the Road to Oman in 2016.
“I went to two different doctors and it didn’t really get better,” he said. “I sent an email to Dr. Müller-Wohlfahrt who has helped a lot of sports stars saying I had this injury and that I really wanted to see them and if they could help me.
“It took them about two hours to see what was wrong with me and then their doctor said that he really thought he could help me, so then we started and it did get better.
“It took quite a long time, ten to 12 weeks of getting constant treatment from him and his team, and then he told me he thought I was going to have a great season this year because I was fully healed – and he was right!
“I’ve had a really good season, played very solidly, and I really need to thank him for taking the time and for all the effort he put in.”
The 27 year old’s name was a near constant at the top of the Challenge Tour leaderboards throughout 2016 and he should arguably have won more than the two titles he did.
Those victories – early in the season in Switzerland and in the closing stretch of the year at the Hainan Open – surrounded eight other top tens, including two runner-ups and two third places, as he ultimately finished third in the Road to Oman Rankings.
Now, a lifelong dream fulfilled, Knappe can look forward to life on the European Tour, and the possibility of rubbing shoulders with some of his heroes.
“It’s always been my dream to play on the European Tour,” he said. “It’s so good to have achieved that dream – I’ve played a few times already, just a few events, but this will be a full season, so much bigger, and I’m looking forward to playing against guys I’ve usually only seen on TV.
“My only golfing idol growing up was Tiger Woods. Now it’s changed a little bit because he’s not playing so much any more so now I look at Jason Day, Rory McIlroy, all the big guys, just to see what they do right and try to get something out of them.”
