Aussie Daniel Gaunt hit rock bottom but never stopped believing

Aussie Daniel Gaunt hit rock bottom but never stopped believing

He has struggled to put food on the table for his wife and children. He has been forced to earn money selling equipment in a golf shop _ located in, of all places, the middle of a racetrack.

He has been ready to toss it in. He has considered a future without the game. But he has stuck it out, never losing faith that one day he will win a tournament. Which makes days like yesterday very special.

Gaunt, who grew up in Victoria but has spent the past 10 years in England, finished the opening round of the Australian Masters in a share of the lead at six-under with Adam Bland and Alistair Presnell. He did it with a round of 65 and a belief that one day things will turn around.

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"There was a time when I hit rock bottom," Gaunt said.

"I think the best thing was taking some time off. It changes you and makes you think a bit differently to what you did before."

Gaunt, whose brother Chris is also in the field, claimed Aaron Baddeley's scalp not once, but twice during the mid-1990s on his way to the Victorian boys' matchplay title. These days, Baddeley is a golfing star who earns millions on the US Tour. Gaunt has been forced to work part-time to look after wife Caroline and children Thalia and Ashton.

Asked about his period working in the golf shop, Gaunt said: "I have always thought I could win tournaments.

"It was just the financial situation I was faced with. Sometimes you have to go to work and get some commission and try to back yourself that way.

"Luckily I did that, and got a good job, and didn't work that hard to be honest. I used to hit a lot of balls at the range, just kept myself in the golf zone."

Gaunt gave himself a two-year plan to achieve his European Tour card. He did it in less than one. Thanks to a good year on the Challenge Tour, he gained his European Tour card for next year. The turnaround began when he qualified for the 2009 British Open. Gaunt finished last, but he still beat Tiger Woods, who missed the cut. He wants to beat Woods again this week.

"There was a time when I thought golf was finished," said Gaunt, a member of Victoria Golf Club before leaving for England.

"That was pretty much right before the British Open last year. It changed from that. It changed things quite quickly. I come here to win basically.

"(Tournament promoter) IMG gave me an invite . . . I wouldn't have taken it up if I didn't think I could win. It's one of my home tracks and I feel comfortable around here and that's what I want to do _ achieve a win on home soil."