The 40-year-old Surrey-based Australian somehow conjured successive birdies to emerge from a dramatic three-way playoff with Englishman Benjamin David and South African MG Keyser to win the Troon Series-Al Zorah Open on Wednesday, including his title-clinching bomb on the second playoff hole:

Troon Series – Al Zorah Open Play-off : What an awesome comeback to professional golf for Australia’s @Gauntgolf!! This is how he won the playoff.@Troon @troonint pic.twitter.com/GGJnaiYKlJ

— MENA Tour (@theMENATour) February 20, 2019

Gaunt’s maiden MENA Tour victory came in just his second event back after he put his floundering career on ice in mid-2017 and his win in an Official World Golf Ranking (OWGR) event since he captured the second of his two Challenge Tour victories at the Telenet Trophy in May 2013.

“I just don’t have the words to explain what I am feeling right now,” the father-of-four said after winning $13,500 by overcoming a difficult start to his final round at Al Zorah G.C. with two bogeys in his opening three holes to sign for a 73 and get into the playoff at -9 with David (69) Keyser (71).

Daniel Gaunt

“I have not played much the last 12-18 months and if you had said I’d win in my second proper event coming back, I would have snapped your hands off.

“The conditions were tough. The wind was brutal and the pins were tucked. I did not have my best stuff, but I am proud of the way I battled. And then to make two birdies when I needed to make them in the play-off, that was amazing.”

BITE-SIZE INTERVIEW
(After Rd3 of Troon Series – Al Zorah Open)

He really is a tough Aussie. In fact, they call him ‘Dundee’ after Crocodile Dundee! But the Al Zorah Open was so special, even @Gauntgolf got emotional.#HBFS #JourneyToJordan @Troon @troonint pic.twitter.com/Y7sG6TuEhd

— MENA Tour (@theMENATour) February 20, 2019

Gaunt gave up professional golf after getting frustrated with his poor form and the resulting financial strain on his family. He joined the maintenance team at his home club, the Burhill Golf Club in Walton-on-Thames, and did not play any tournament throughout 2018.

“It’s been a long couple of years. I have absolutely worked my backside off to get to this place. I am so happy, but I also want this to be the stepping stone to take me further.”

Keyser parred the first playoff hole (Al Zorah’ par-5 4th) to be eliminated. On the par-3 next, Guant guided a four-iron to 20 feet and made his putt as David parred to settle for a share of second place with Keyser.

BITE-SIZE INTERVIEW
(After Rd3 of Troon Series – Al Zorah Open)@bendavid429 came agonizingly close to what would have been the biggest win of his career. He finally finished second, but the Englishman was over the moon with his result.#HBFS #JourneyToJordan @Troon @troonint pic.twitter.com/uLd4VWWylo

— MENA Tour (@theMENATour) February 20, 2019

India’s Dubai-based Rayhan Thomas (73) finished as the leading amateur at four-under par 212, which was good for tied ninth place overall. England’s Curtis Knipes (72), the amateur winner at Journey To Jordan-1, the inaugural event of the 2019 season, was next best at two-under par.

Thomas finished with a birdie but dropped shots on the par-3 15th and the 16th holes denied him a sub-par score and a place inside the top-five.

“The conditions were very tough, but my game was also mediocre,” said Thomas, the second highest ranked Asian player in the World Amateur Golf Ranking at No. 16.

“I am happy to be the leading amateur, but I obviously wanted to win the tournament. I know I could have contended for the title this week. It would have been nice to start the season with a win in your third tournament of the year.”

The MENA Tour move to Oman and the $75,000 Ghala Golf Club Open starting on Monday, Feb. 25.

Leading amateur Rayhan Thomas.

TROON SERIES- AL ZORAH OPEN – FINAL SCORES (par-72)
207 – *Daniel Gaunt (AUS) 68-66-73, MG Keyser (RSA) 70-66-71, Benjamin David (ENG) 69-69-69. *Gaunt won on the second playoff hole.
209 – Craig Ross (SCO) 68-66-75, Seve Benson (ENG) 69-68-72
210 – Robert Dinwiddie (ENG) 71-70-69, Max Smith (ENG) 68-71-71, Todd Clements (ENG) 71-65-74
212 – Rayhan Thomas (IND-Am) 69-70-73, Conor O’Neil (SCO) 72-70-70,
213 – Henric Sturehed (SWE) 73-71-69, Dominic Foos (GER) 69-71-73
214 – Curtis Knipes (ENG-Am) 72-70-72, Antoine Schwartz (FRA) 70-70-74, Tom Shadbolt (ENG) 70-69-75, Jack McDonald (SCO) 70-67-77
215 – Constantin Schwierz (GER) 71-71-73, Daniel Hendry (SCO) 71-70-74, Jack Doherty (SCO) 72-68-75, Lionel Weber (FRA) 68-71-76
216 – Jacob Oakley (ENG) 73-72-71, Joshua White (ENG) 72-68-76

The post Gaunt’s Al Zorah Open victory is an inspiration to any golfer struggling with their game appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

The former England wicketkeeper-batsman earned his MENA Tour card in Morocco last week in a giant step towards his lofty dream of becoming a European Tour regular.

He doesn’t have to wait long to face his first examination as a touring professional with the 29-year-old set to tee it up in the MENA Tour’s $40,000 season-opening Palmeraie Country Club Casablanca Open on Tuesday.

The 54-holer on the six-month old course comes after the South African-born Kieswetter tweeted his delight at successfully negotiating the Middle East and North Africa developmental Pro-Am tour’s qualifying school.

Living the dream, from one sport as a professional to another! Qualified for @MENAGolfTour 2017 – double ???? up pic.twitter.com/SiHPu4d0iy

— Craig Kieswetter (@kiesy_22) March 11, 2017

He finished T31 at El Jadida Golf Club in Mazagan – the top 55 and ties earned MENA Tour cards for 2017 – but his 18-over-par total of 234 (77-82-75) shows he still has a way to go to achieve his dream of reaching the European Tour within two years.

Kieswetter was capped 71 times by England – 46 one day internationals and 25 T20 matches – between 2010 and 2013. He was named man of the match after scoring 63 off 49 deliveries in England’s victory over Australia in the World T20 Cup final in 2010 in Barbados but had his cricket career cut short after being struck by a bouncer playing a country match for Somerset in July 2014.

The delivery from Northamptonshire paceman David Willey squeezed through the grille of his helmet, breaking his nose and smashing his eye socket to “pieces”. Though he briefly attempted a comeback, his sight was permanently damaged and definitely no good at night where the white ball and the glare of floodlights proved uncomfortable bedfellows.

His face rebuilt with metal implants and his financial situation comfortable (among his entrepreneur father’s business interests is a distillery in Scotland), Kieswetter was encouraged to go on a golf break. In Florida he arranged for some lessons from David Leadbetter where his natural ability shone and a seed was planted.

Apparently chicks dig scars…?! #rocky pic.twitter.com/DcGBhp5unN

— Craig Kieswetter (@kiesy_22) July 13, 2014

Kieswetter told The Telegraph recently that he is convinced he has the ability and, crucially, the time to make it in pro golf.

“I think at the beginning there was a bit of: who does he think he is?” he said. “Even now, every tournament I go to I’m introduced as the ex-England cricketer. It does frustrate me.

“But it was the same when I first played cricket. Then it was ‘here’s the lad from the affluent family’. That desire to prove people wrong was quite a big thing for me.”

KANDY, SRI LANKA – Craig Kieswetter of England celebrates catching out Kane Williamson of New Zealand during the ICC World Twenty20 2012. Photos by Getty Images

The Casablanca Open, which concludes Thursday, won’t be Kieswetter’s first MENA Tour start. He finished T31 on level par as an amateur in the inaugural Sahara Kuwait Championship last October.

Englishmen Benjamin David and Edward Holland and Scotland’s Daniel Hendry are others set to make their professional debuts at Palmeraie Country Club among a record MENA Tour field of 137 players, including 19 amateurs, from 25 countries. Scotland’s Grant Forrest and India’s Feroz Singh Garewal also graduated from Q-School alongside Kieswetter.

England’s Zane Scotland, awarded the first MENA Tour life-membership by tour patron and 2011 Open Champion Darren Clarke at last month’s Dubai Desert Classic, will go in search of a record 11^th win.

Other notables in the field are 2016 moneylist winner Craig Hinton, fellow Englishman Lee Corfield, Andrew Marshall, Luke Joy, and Jake Shepherd – all multiple winners on the MENA Tour – 2014 order of merit champion Joshua White and Spanish swashbuckler Carlos Balmaseda.

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