The Broberg code: Keep on trying until you succeed
Sure, one has to work for a living. But is it really worth it to kill oneself working? Sergio Leone definitely did not think so; Krist-offer Broberg begs to differ. Kaushik Chatterji reports. Know Kristoffer
Sure, one has to work for a living. But is it really worth it to kill oneself working? Sergio Leone definitely did not think so; Krist-offer Broberg begs to differ.
Ask any other professional golfer how many hours they put in every day, and chances are the figure they quote will not exceed eight - about the same as anyone with a nine-to-five job. The 26-year-old Swede's answer to the same poser? Twelve. And that's just what he is willing to own up to - the dirt from compatriot Rikard Karlberg is even more overwhelming.
"We have really long days during summers (in Sweden)," says the former Indian Open winner. "There are days when Kristoffer reaches the course at 4 in the morning and doesn't leave before 10 at night."
Staying right next to the golf course helps - Broberg Sr was a greenskeeper at Stockholm's Haninge Golf Club - but not during the harsh Swedish winters. Then, the action shifts to a "big tent" some 10 minutes away. "It's an indoor practice area, about 50m long with a big chipping area and putting greens," says Broberg, whose obsession with the short game leads him to hit upwards of 1,000 balls during a day in the tent.
The shadow of his mane can barely hide the signs of fatigue, and his first trip to India (he finished in tied 34th place at the Avantha Masters) didn't exactly go as well as he might have hoped. But the hard yards have not gone unrewarded - starting with his second event on the European Challenge Tour in August, Broberg won three titles in four weeks for the fastest promotion to the European Tour.
Clearly, working from four to 10 every night doesn't necessarily make life a drag.