Martin Kaymer has achieved more than most players could dream of in the world of golf but the German insisted he was not even halfway done as he prepared to tee it up at this week's Nordea Masters.
Kaymer was already a five-time winner on the European Tour when he claimed his maiden Major at the 2010 US PGA Championship, sparking a run of four wins in six months that would help him win the Race to Dubai and catapult him to Number One in the Official World Golf Ranking.
He would add a World Golf Championships title at the WGC-HSBC Champions later in 2011 and less than a year on, holed the vital putt as Europe completed the Miracle at Medinah to successfully defend the Ryder Cup.
A second Major Championship followed at the 2014 US Open for Kaymer's 11th and - so far - last European Tour title but two top tens this season including at the Rolex Series Italian Open have got the competitive juices flowing and, at just 33, he is far from done.
"I'm on the seventh hole, hopefully," he said. "You need some time to get to know and place yourself in the world of golf.
"In the beginning you can't know, you have zero experience. Then you play around the world and measure your game with the best in the world. Then you see good results and in my case underestimate yourself a little.
"All of a sudden you win a Major, you play a vital role in Ryder Cups, you win your second Major. Then you need to adjust because it's sometimes overwhelming and not understandable. It cannot only be talent, you need to ask yourself how you actually got here.
"That realisation took me a long time, that's why I would say I'm on the seventh hole, maybe seventh green.
"It's just understanding who you are, what you do, what kind of life you live. For example, when you try to have a relationship with anyone, it doesn't matter what kind of relationship, people see you not for who you are as a person but as the athlete, what you have, what kind of success you had.
"I never understood that because I don't want to be treated that way but I also understood by now that is who I am, because I am that athlete, I am the guy who makes a lot of money.
"I never wanted to be seen that way because I was raised different and I wanted to be normal. But you are not normal when you do what I did. It took me a long time to understand but now I can handle it better."
It cannot only be talent, you need to ask yourself how you actually got here - Martin Kaymer
Kaymer is playing this event for the first time in a decade but finished second in his rookie European Tour season in 2007 and then 14th the following year.
"The first time I had a good chance but Mikko Ilonen won," he said. "I remember because my brother was caddying for me and it was my first year on Tour.
"I always liked coming here for many reasons. This week it will be a little more difficult, coming from a Major, but I played fine. Hopefully a lot of people will come out and support and in general I think it could be a very nice tournament.
"I enjoy tournaments like this one because people come out to watch golf and enjoy the sport. Even today I saw a lot of kids, even though they should probably be in school. Okay, it's still the holiday in Sweden, that's okay!
"I just enjoy the atmosphere in these kind of tournaments because it is very real. Especially in Sweden the people are very warm and loving."
