For the multi-talented Alexander Björk his sporting story could have been so different.
Equally adept with either a golf club or a tennis racket, the Swede featured in national top tens as a junior not for his prowess on the fairways, but because of his skill on the court.
For many promising all-rounders this decision may have proved difficult, but for a young Björk it was a simple choice: to play professional golf.
“I only focused on just golf when I was 17 as I used to play a lot of sports – tennis, football and hockey,” he said. “I used to play tennis to quite a high level and I was one of the top ten in my age group in Sweden when I was a teenager.
“But I had to give up as it was taking up too much time and I wanted to focus on golf – as I felt that I was much better at that sport.
“I thought early on that I wanted to be a professional golfer. I was 15 years old and starting to play more and I knew that I had the ability – so I turned professional when I was 18.”
From teenage hopeful to young golf pro, Björk admits it took him time to adapt when he joined the paid ranks.
“I started out on the Nordic Golf League and I played for around five years there,” he said. “During my second year I was playing on the European Challenge Tour in Sweden and I was leading for two days, so I felt as though as I had the game but I had a lot of work to do before I could compete at a high level.
“I graduated from the Nordic Golf League and had a bit of a rough time on the Challenge Tour – I finished in 71stplace in the Rankings after my first season. Then last year I was feeling good but started to fall back slightly as the year went on, and I finished 40thoverall.
“After that I decided not to go to Qualifying School as I wanted to focus on the Challenge Tour this season and get my card that way – I’m so happy that I have been able to do that.”
After a maiden professional victory at Le Vaudreuil Golf Challenge and nine top ten finishes, the second most by any player on Europe’s top developmental tour in 2016, the 26 year old believes he is ready to compete on the European Tour next season.
“I’m very confident heading into next year because I feel my game is good enough,” said Björk, who finished seventh in the 2016 Road to Oman Rankings. “I need to improve a few things in the next couple of months but I feel comfortable.
“It’s a new level and there will be different types of tournaments, but I just need to relax and enjoy it now I am on the European Tour.”
