{"id":4319,"date":"2012-04-04T07:57:49","date_gmt":"2012-04-04T07:57:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/indiansportsnews.co.in\/?p=4319"},"modified":"2012-04-04T07:57:49","modified_gmt":"2012-04-04T07:57:49","slug":"kruger-a-small-man-with-a-big-heart","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/indiansportsnews.co.in\/?p=4319","title":{"rendered":"Kruger – A small man with a big heart"},"content":{"rendered":"

Singapore: <\/strong>Jbe Kruger will be the first to advocate that size doesn\u2019t matter in professional golf.<\/p>\n

At a mere 1.66m in height and a lightweight 60kg, he is one of the smallest men on the Asian Tour. But the 25-year-old South African certainly stands tall amongst the giants of Asian golf.<\/p>\n

While it is early days yet in the 2012 season, Kruger, who is competing in the ISPS Handa Singapore Classic which starts on Thursday, is enjoying the view from the top of the Asian Tour\u2019s Order of Merit courtesy of his breakthrough victory at the Avantha Masters in India in February.<\/p>\n

He knows the road to fame is still a long one but he\u2019s determined to enjoy the ride.
\u201cI can\u2019t really say I\u2019m on top of the world right now. Leading the Order of Merit is an honour. To be able to sit on the same table with great names like Jeev (Singh) it\u2019s an honour,\u201d said the softly-spoken Kruger.<\/p>\n

At first glance, Kruger probably looks more like a welterweight wrestler but when he wields the big stick, he packs a good wallop. He averages 300 yards off the tee, enough distance to keep up with the long hitters in the game such as Australia\u2019s Scott Hend, who has won the Driving Distance category for the past few years.<\/p>\n

Kruger said his father, who is a keen marathon runner, is his biggest inspiration. Similar in built, Kruger said his father trained and pushed his body to the limits to make up for his lack of physique.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy father is a keen sportsman. He plays every sport and he\u2019s good in everything. Being a kid, seeing him so competitive definitely gave me the edge and I wanted to be competitive in the things that I do. From an early age, I saw the only thing that made him competitive was through hard work. He was the hardest worker I\u2019ve seen in my whole life. That was why I work the way I do,\u201d said Kruger.<\/p>\n

He said his power in golf comes from strong legs and arms plus his hips. As a youngster, Kruger would run up small hills with a tractor wheel in tow to build up his power and strength.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m small but I think I\u2019m strong. It definitely comes from my hips. It\u2019s a part that\u2019s strong and I\u2019ve got strong hands. It helps. I work out a lot. Growing up with a father than runs every day of his life, I also ran competitively until I was 16 or 17.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf you do that, you also have to do uphill runs. I saw him doing that. It\u2019s not just running long distances. Running uphill and dragging something at the back definitely makes you stronger. That\u2019s what I did.<\/p>\n

\u201cI used to drag along a tractor tire up a gravel road. It was like some 500 yards uphill but we would go up and down, up and down, up and down. It\u2019s never easy. I don\u2019t do it at the moment but I should start doing it again! That made me a lot stronger than what I would have been,\u201d said Kruger.<\/p>\n

After joining the Asian Tour in 2009, Kruger made an impact but became known as the nearly man. He finished second on three occasions in 2010 and was in the top-10 six times in 2011 to finish fourth on the Order of Merit.<\/p>\n

The win in India came a relief and vindication of his hard work.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Avantha win gave me confidence. All of you guys know I had finished second all the time. It\u2019s made me more confident and made me a better golfer mentally. To try to win and reach something and not getting there drains you and it takes a lot out of you. But to finally get it, it makes everything worthwhile and makes you believe that everything works out for the best,\u201d said Kruger.<\/p>\n

\u201cGod has got a bigger plan. But all the seconds definitely prepared me to win and to appreciate the win better. I think it definitely made me a better golfer. You desperately want it but I can\u2019t really say it. If it came early in my career, it may not have been as satisfying as after finishing second so many times.\u201d<\/p>\n

His triumph in India gave him an exemption into the World Golf Championships-Cadillac Championship in the United States, a gathering of the best players in the world last month. With countrymen Louis Oosthuizen and Charl Schwartzel, who are a few years older than him, having won Majors recently, Kruger believes he can also attain the holy grail in golf.<\/p>\n

\u201cDoral was an eye opener. It was a phenomenal experience, to play with the best in the world. To compete with them, standing on the same putting greens definitely makes you feel worthy which is a main thing as a golfer,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m a few years younger than Charl and Louis. It makes you believe that you can also do it. They came from the same country, same juniors, same amateur circuit. Seeing what they did definitely makes you believe you can do it. Being friends with them, you know their swings and capabilities and definitely makes me believe that I can also do it.<\/p>\n

\u201cI want to play in America in the next four or five years. Next couple of years, I see myself playing in Europe and will try to finish as high as I can on the Order of Merit. I also want to win the Order of Merit on the Asian Tour,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

He was a keen observer during the Cadillac Championship, watching players go through the motion. And he reckons he now knows the secret to their success.<\/p>\n

\u201cShort game is the big difference. Those guys are extremely good. They swing the club well. I don\u2019t think many people in the world can hit the ball better than me. But their short game is tremendous. If they miss a green, they\u2019ll make par nine out of 10 times. That\u2019s the difference. They don\u2019t make simple or stupid mistakes which cost me a lot of money every year. I think that\u2019s the big thing,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Kruger said his journey on the Asian Tour has certainly shaped his career.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt gave me experience especially the first couple of years. I was alone and it shaped me into a stronger person. Everybody desperately needs experience and that\u2019s why I\u2019m a better golfer now. Different weather, different grasses, different greens make you a more complete player. You can\u2019t have the skill set like this if you go straight to Europe or America. You need to learn everything there needs to learn in Asia and that\u2019s what make it so special,\u201d said Kruger.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Singapore: Jbe Kruger will be the first to advocate that size doesn\u2019t matter in professional golf. At a mere 1.66m in height and a lightweight 60kg, he is one of the smallest men on the Asian Tour. But the 25-year-old South African certainly stands tall amongst the giants of Asian golf. While it is early […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"tdm_status":"","tdm_grid_status":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[38],"tags":[158,1131,2921],"class_list":["post-4319","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","category-world-golf-news","tag-asian-tour","tag-jbe-kruger","tag-jeev"],"yoast_head":"\nKruger - A small man with a big heart - IndianSportsNews.com - Latest Updated Sports News & Sports Blogs of Cricket, Hockey, Golf, Football, Tennis & Other Sports<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/indiansportsnews.co.in\/?p=4319\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Kruger - A small man with a big heart - IndianSportsNews.com - Latest Updated Sports News & Sports Blogs of Cricket, Hockey, Golf, Football, Tennis & Other Sports\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Singapore: Jbe Kruger will be the first to advocate that size doesn\u2019t matter in professional golf. 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