Global Golfer: Sophomore Axel Einarsson

Photo by: Steve C. Wilson

4/3/2020 10:40 AM | Men's Golf

Excelling in sports doesn’t happen overnight – it takes countless hours of hard work and dedication to become the best. Sophomore Axel Einarsson understands that if you want to compete against the best, you must also out work your competitors, which is why he has had success in the game of golf.

Einarsson was born in Ludvika, Sweden, but he grew up on the golf course.

“I got my first set of clubs when I was three and when I turned seven my dad started dropping me off at the golf course,” Einarsson said. “I would spend every summer day playing and then get picked up at night. Spending all that time out there made me fall in love with the game.”

Einarsson’s family, which includes his father Per, mother Helena, and his two siblings, all played golf. Even though golf was important to his parents, it was more important for him to be raised the right way.

They mean everything to me. We’ve always been a super close family and I know family always comes first. They always encouraged me to do whatever I was passionate about. Once I chose golf, I had their full support and I can never thank them enough for it.

Like many young players, Einarsson looked up to professional golfers that he would one day aspire to be, but luckily for Einarsson, one of his mentors was close by. Fredrick Hammarberg, who was a successful professional golfer in Sweden, helped Einarsson develop as a golfer when he was younger.

“He would play with me all the time and then I would go to tournaments and caddy for him,” he said. “I was super lucky to have him, and he taught me a lot about the game.”

With the support Einarsson received from Hammarberg and his family, his passion for the game continued to grow and he became determined to become a great golfer.

“It has always been my dream,” he said. “Once I started caddying for Fredrick, I was introduced to a whole new scene and loved it.”

Einarsson’s passion translated into hard work. In high school, he had access to an indoor facility where he would log over 30 hours a week training, but it still wasn’t enough for Einarsson.

“I began to take the game more serious and really focus on my technique,” he said. “I’ve always wanted to put in the hours, and even though I do, I never really feel satisfied.”

Einarsson set his goals high while golfing in Sweden, dreaming to be accepted into Filbornaskolan, which is the National School of Golf in Sweden. After all the hard work, Einarsson received the good news he had been waiting for.

“That meant everything to be because it just created a whole boost of confidence for me,” he said. “When I received the email saying whether I had been accepted or denied, I didn’t open it for five minutes because I was so nervous, but once I saw that I had gotten in I was excited. I just ran out in the streets of my home and started screaming.”

He experienced a great deal of success during his time at Filbornaskolan. His team won two national championships and he was an individual runner up in 2016. Einarsson also won the 2016 Junior Masters and two tournaments on the National Skandia Tour in 2015.

Einarsson high school success got him invited to compete on the Swedish National Golf team where he traveled across Europe and competed in tournaments. After accomplishing so much in Sweden, the time came for Einarsson to decide where he wanted to attend college.

He knew he wanted to come play in the United States, receiving offers from multiple universities. However, there was one school that he visited that he felt an instant connection that went deeper than the game itself.

I was being recruited by a lot of schools and I went on some visits, but what really mattered to me in the end was the coaches and the players. The feeling I had when I spent time with everyone here at Utah was different and I knew I wanted to be here.

Changing continents for most people would be a little daunting, but Einarsson couldn’t wait to get to Utah. Coming in, he knew he was the young guy and was excited to compete for a spot on the team.

“I always try to seek an environment where I feel like I can learn from other players and compete against them to get better,” he said. “I learned a lot from Kyler Dunkle last year and being around the top amateur golfers in the world motivates me to play better.”

Einarsson was able to qualify for the first tournament his freshman season in 2018-19 at the Gopher Invitational and competing in his first college tournament was a feeling he will never forget.

“I just remember walking out there with my college bag with my name on it,” Einarsson said. “I immediately recognized some faces from past tournaments I played back in Europe. The putting green that day was absolutely perfect, and it was the best putting green I’d ever seen. Then I realized that this right here is what it's all about.”

Einarsson would go on to compete in all 12 events for the Utes during his freshman season, accumulating five eagles and carded nine rounds of par or better. His best finish of the season came at the National Invitational Tournament where he was able to finish as the top Ute tying for 19th among the field. He even got a hole-in-one at the Showdown in the Rockies and he capped off his first year by tying for 46th at the Pac-12 Championship.

Coming to Utah has given Einarsson another chance to develop his game, attributing a lot of his growth to the Utah coaching staff.

“We have really great coaches here and they have a lot of experience,” he said. “They know a lot about the game and they’ve definitely helped me improve the way I play golf.”

Traveling is a large part of being a collegiate athlete, but with the 2019-20 season being shortened due to the Coronavirus pandemic, Einarsson is unsure when he will compete in another tournament. Luckily for Einarsson though, the strong bond he has created with his teammates gives the word “team” its meaning.

We are a really close group of guys. We would hangout all the time and we have a lot of fun. We can talk to each other about everything, and we help one another through rough times. We support each other to become better.