Matt Baldwin: I nearly quit golf. Now I’m back on the

When the 36-year-old lost his then-European Tour card in 2016, hopes were high he would make an immediate return to the top tier.

However, what started out as a brief hiatus turned into a five-year slog on the Challenge Tour, with the affable Southport native repeatedly frustrated in his quest to get back to where he feels he belongs.

“I room and travel with Jordan Wrisdale and four or five months ago I said to him ‘if this is going to be my final year out here, I want to enjoy what I’m doing so let’s have a good time’,” Baldwin told bunkered.co.uk.

“I never gave up, but I certainly had doubts over whether I could do it. I was still working hard at it but financially at that point it was potentially my last season. It [quitting] wasn’t something I wanted to do. I’d love to keep playing golf forever but where I was at with my life and my financial situation I thought it might be time.”

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Extensive travel for little reward also weighed heavily against Baldwin’s desire to settle down with his girlfriend, Claire.

“Lower level footballers don’t get paid much but they still get paid regardless of how they perform,” Baldwin added. “If you’re a golfer you could go six, nine or 12 months without making a cut. You spend a lot of money to travel and you’re not getting anything back from it.

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