Injury ends Gill's qualifying bid

A back injury has wrecked New Zealand golfer James Gill's bid to qualify for the European Tour.

The injury forced Gill to withdraw after two rounds of the second stage of qualifying in Spain.

The 24-year-old had posted rounds of 72 and 70 to be tied for 19th and well positioned to claim a spot in this week's third and final stage over six rounds.

However, he managed only four holes in the third round before withdrawing due to pain caused by an injured disc in his back.

Gill will return to New Zealand next month for treatment before heading back to Britain in April for another year on the third tier EuroPro Tour.

"It sucks I know. I could have been right to play tomorrow, I could have been right to play next week," Gill said.

"I just wasn't right to play today and if I'd kept going, I risked long-term injury."

- NZPA