Matthew Baldwin used to deliver parcels in an Amazon truck but now he is leading the BMW PGA Championship in what proves to be an extraordinary comeback story.
Baldwin, 38, has come a long way since his days working as a package delivery driver in Warrington, where he earned £15 an hour, and is now hoping for a salary of £1.15million a day.
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Almost three years ago, the golfer spent the winter months working for Amazon in the North East as he struggled to pay his mortgage following another unsuccessful season on the Challenge Tour.
The Southport star has considered retirement on several occasions since losing his DP World Tour card in 2016.
However, his unexpected experience driving the van taught him that the fire still burns.
Baldwin said many times“Before the Challenge Tour season started in 2022 I did three or four months driving a van in the Amazon.
“I did it four or five days a week, doing a bit of practise when I could, but mainly I drove the van and delivered parcels.
“I learned a lot from him. I learned there’s a lot more in life that I can do, but I also learned that I really want to play golf.”
Baldwin doesn’t view his brief tenure at Amazon as a difficult time.
But instead he remembers those days with a smile, especially the funny ones.
Baldwin said: “I remember I stopped beside a block of flats, I jumped out of the van, sat in the back and suddenly I realised I was moving forward and I thought, ‘Oh no, I forgot to put the handbrake on’.
“I ran backwards, ran around the side, pulled the handbrake up, but it still wouldn’t stop. I pulled it some more, eventually it stopped inches before a blue Fiesta.
“The woman I was handing the parcel to saw the whole incident and she said, ‘I couldn’t take out my phone quickly enough to film it.'”
But that is all in the past now, as Baldwin takes a two-shot lead into the third round of the BMW PGA Championship, with Rory McIlroy four shots behind him.
And the Briton is enjoying every moment of his game, which he knew he had the ability to do even when he was driving an Amazon van.
Baldwin said: “I’m very proud of my game so far. My golf has been going well for some time now.”
“I haven’t always shown it with the results. I wouldn’t say it’s been unexpected, but I know it was inside of me and so far this week it’s come out.”
