Turner suffers injury KO at Q-School - "It's been an absolute nightmare"
Happier times. Niall Turner tees off in 2011 Iskandar Johor Open in Malaysia. Photo Eoin Clarke/www.golffile.ie
Niall Turner's Asian Tour Q-School bid has been wrecked by the recurrence of a long-term hip injury.
The 30-year old Muskerry professional withdrew after a first round 77 at Imperial Lakeview and Springfield Royal Country Club in Thailand.
"I had a big flare up in my right hip — the one I had surgery on in April last year — in mid December and only had three days of practice in two months before playing Q School," Turner said.
"My hip was hurting so had to withdraw. It's been an absolute nightmare. I haven't played a Q-School uninjured since January 2011."
Turner missed four months of the season last year when he finally underwent surgery in April having put it off for nearly 18 months.
“I tore the labrum in my right hip socket back in October 2011 and have been putting off the surgery for a while,” Turner explained at the time
“I tore it again last November before the European Tour event in Hong Kong so it’s been a massive hindrance for a long time. I was just waiting for the best time to get the surgery.”
How many events Turner can expect to play on Asian Tour this year remains to be seen but having played 15 events in 2011 and 12 in 2012, he got just two starts last year after failing to get through Q-School.
As for this year's Q-School, Dubliner Niall Kearney shot a one under par 70 at Springfield Royal Country Club to make the one-under par cut with a stroke to spare.
Kearney is tied for 54th on two under 141 in the battle to finish in the top 40 and ties after four rounds and earn an Asian Tour card for 2014.
Two under for the day with nine to play having started on the back nine, he bogeyed the second and third to find himself on the mark but birdied the par-five fifth to make it comfortably in the end.
Americans Jarin Todd and Paul Peterson lead by a stroke on nine under par from Sebasian Gros of France, Australia's Nathan Holman and Switzerland's Martin Rominger.
