John Clark at Kingston Heath, Sportal German sensation Bettina Hauert is coming off her best season to date, but the hard-hitting 25-year-old refuses to talk up her chances at the MFS Australian Open. Hauert, runner-up on the Ladies European Tour&aposs money list in 2007, has admitted driver dramas have plagued her preparation for the tournament at Kingston Heath in Melbourne. Less than 24 hours before her opening round Hauert is seeking solutions to her off-target tee shots. “I am always confident but to be honest I am struggling,” a refreshingly honest Hauert said on Wednesday afternoon. “I am not hitting my driver well at the moment. It just goes all over the place. “I am working on it like everyone is always working on it.” Hauert is not without hope here, however, if her blazing 2007 season which began with a top-10 finish at the Australian Open is anything to go by. She won the Swiss Open in May and added August&aposs Finnair Masters to her list of accomplishments before the season was out. The breakthrough 12 months was not solely based on a power-game for which she has carved a reputation, though, but touch around the greens. “My short game improved a lot, I worked on my short game,” Hauert said. “Throughout my amateur and professional career my short game has always been my weak point. “I used to be one of the long hitters, but now I am not anymore. It is like if you take a piece off here you need to add it somewhere else.” Hauert prepared for Kingston Heath with a practice round on Wednesday and found a novel way to overcome the course&aposs infamous bunkers. “I just threw the ball out,” she quipped. From Thursday, however, that won&apost be an option, but she has plans to beat the beach. “The key to any good run of golf is just hitting fairways and greens,” Hauert said. “It&aposs the same on this course. Some bunkers are not as tough to play out of as the others, but it&aposs always easier if you don&apost end up in the trap.”