Pros advice

Ballyclare golf professional Gareth Maybin has announced his retirement from the sport at the age of 36 following ongoing injury struggles.

Maybin had been trying to work through a wrist injury in recent years, and was forced to withdraw from the Johannesburg Open in February.

He also lost his European Tour card in 2014, and admitted in a statement that he has found the last few years “challenging”.

Maybin, who turned pro in 2005, competed in both the US Open and Open Championship, and came agonisingly close to winning his third European event in 2008 when he lost out in a play-off at the South African Open.

The Northern Irishman came through the 2010 season in good form, finishing in the top 40 in the Race to Dubai standings, but a persistent wrist problem since June 2015 drastically affected his game.

He returned to the greens to play in the Pro-Am in South Africa last week after 20 months out of the game.

After losing his European Tour card, Maybin had hoped to play in around 15 tournaments on the Challenge Tour the following season, before suffering the bad wrist injury in June.

Unfortunately for the player, he has been forced into retirement, bringing the curtain down on what could have been a very successful career.