Playing on the American mini tours was not only good for practice after a long winter lay-off in his native Sweden but it also gave him great confidence for the 1996 European Challenge Tour season, which saw him hold the number one Rankings position for several weeks in the mid-to-late part of the season. Joakim hails from Katrineholm in Sweden, though he now lives in Stockholm. His father, a scratch golfer, taught him to play as a six-year-old but other sports took preference in his formative years, particularly Soccer and Bandy - ice hockey played on a full size hockey pitch - but he still managed to represent the Swedish boys' team at golf. Joakim concentrated on his golf after a hockey injury and he turned professional in 1992 at the age of 20. He won a Swedish Tour event in his first season, and for the last two years has concentrated his efforts on the Challenge Tour from which he graduated in 1996.