RICHARD McEvoy has been left considering his future in golf after a dreadful piece of bad luck forced him to give up his bid to retain his place among the sport’s elite.

The 34-year-old from Leigh was well-placed when he had to withdraw from the qualifying school in Valencia last week after coming down with a crippling stomach bug.

The Thorpe Hall club member fell ill before his first round but soldiered on through the opening three days before eventually having to fly home over concerns about his health on the eve of the final round.

It meant he’s missed out on a chance to retain his European Tour card by competing at the final at the PGA Catalunya Resort this week, and it has left him considering his options for next year.

He said: “It was one of those things where if I’d been at home I would have just been in bed for a week really. But I’m not really one to give up.

“It could not have been worse timing. It’s the only week of the year where I really needed to be fit and well for a couple of weekrunning, and it just came at the wrong time, so it’s very frustrating.

“I have not had a proper sit down and think about what’s next yet, but at the moment it’s looking like I’ll have a decent ranking on the Challenge Tour next year, so I can play there if I want to.

“I would like to carry on playing, definitely, but it depends on things like getting a decent sponsor to help me for next year.

“Obviously my circumstances have changed at home now with a young family and I need to take that into account now.

“It’s not like the old days when I was first out there and I did not have anything to worry about at home. Back then, when I first started, I could go and live off my overdraft, but that’s not really possible now.

“I’m not a sob story or anything and if I can get a sponsor then great, but if I can’t then I’ll have to consider what my priorities are and what my options are.”

McEvoy is one Essex’s most established professionals and finished 150th in the European Tour rankings this year, 40 places short of the spot he needed to automatically retain his card.

But despite missing out, he remains confident in his ability to bounce back up to the top tour straight away, and has a meeting coming up with a contact which may give him the backing he needs to continue next year.

He said: “I feel that if I can get myself out there next year then I’ve got a really good chance of getting myself back on the tour again.

“The last few times I have had to go back to Challenge Tour I’ve had good years.

“It’s weird going back to Challenge Tour because you do become a bit of a bigger fish in a smaller pond.

“But this is just part of the job. If you don’t play well enough then you get demoted, the same as in football when you go from the Premier League to the Championship, and that’s the way it goes.”

If anyone is interested in sponsoring Richard McEvoy you can e-mail him at richard.mcevoy.142@facebook.com