SEVEN months ago, Matthew Hazelden was considering giving up golf and becoming an estate agent. On Thursday he tees off in the biggest tournament in the world at Royal Troon.

Disillusioned by the game and with debts piling up, the 34-year-old considered quitting the PGA Australasia Tour and returning to Horsham to get a proper job.

Only the thought of Sussex in the middle of winter persuaded Hazelden to stay in Australia and give his dream of making a living as a professional golfer one more try.

It turned out to be the best decision of his life. Four weeks later he holed a ten-foot putt on the last at Kingston Heath in Melbourne to finish fourth in international qualifying for The Open.

"I had a poor year prior to Christmas. I hadn't earnt any money, I was struggling and really thought about doing something else," he said.

"When you are my ranking in the world you have to think about earning a living and if no money is coming in, you've got to think of other ways of paying the bills.

"I only decided to stay because January in England is not the greatest of times. I laid on the beach for about four months to relax and then went to Melbourne and qualified.

"It was a fabulous feeling, especially after the few months I had before that because at last something had gone right. I didn't stop smiling for 48 hours.

"I have worked hard over the years to play this game and it is just lovely to have something like this happen as a reward. I have been a professional for 14 years and I have achieved one of my ambitions.

"Qualifying in January was great because I have been able to soak it up for six months and really enjoy it. Only this last week have the nerves started to really hit me.

"It's going to be an amazing experience for me and I want to make the most of it. I'm going to try to play with as many good golfers as I can and learn as much from all of them as I can. I've always wanted to play with the likes of Faldo, Els, Watson and Norman and now I have got my chance."

Hazelden has been dreaming of playing in the Open ever since his dad, Trevor, bought him a junior membership at Mannings Heath Golf Club at the age of seven.

After failing in regional qualifying 14 years in a row since turning professional in 1990 - the closest he came was losing in a play-off at Western Gailes in 1994 - he started to think his chance may have passed before a controversial change in the rules opened the door.

A series of international qualifying events were introduced and Hazelden grabbed his chance to secure his place in a field which will be missing top names like Bernhard Langer, Jose Maria Olazabal, Ian Woosnam and Justin Rose.

"My first memory of watching golf was Tom Watson holing a putt on the last to beat Jack Nicklaus at The Open in 1977," he said. "They had a big day at Mannings Heath and it was so exciting. I've been hooked on competing in it ever since.

"As the years have gone by, I started to feel like I might never make it. But I think being out in Australia gave me a fresh approach and, thankfully, it worked out.

"To see guys like Langer, Olazabal, Woosnam and the others who are not in it is humbling. People have criticised the new qualifying system because a lot of big names will be missing but it is a good idea.

"There are plenty of very good golfers in Australia who wouldn't normally come to England to try to qualify and it has given them a chance."

Hazelden was able to enter international qualifying because he has a world ranking. When he secured his place at Troon in January it stood at a lowly 875 and since then has tumbled to 1,021.

Despite odds of 500-1 on him lifting the Claret Jug, the former Forest Grange pupil is confident he can hold his own and hopes it will be the catalyst to spark an upturn in his fortunes. If things do not go well, he admits he may be forced to call it a day.

"I am not just going there just to make up the numbers," he said. "My aim is to do well in every tournament and the Open is no different.

"There will be a lot of emotions going on but if I deal with that and play the game I am capable of playing, I am sure I can do well.

"It's going to be a big deal but, hopefully, I can channel my nerves in the right way.

"It would be quite a story if I did well. The odds on me are high but Ben Curtis was still 50-1 on the final day last year so I might have a little flutter on myself. You need a bit of luck at the Open but if you get on the right side of the draw and shoot a good score it can be tough for the others."

Hazelden tees-off with Yoshinobu Tsukada (Japan) and Steve Lowery (USA) at 2.31pm on Thursday in the first round.