DORSET'S Gary Emerson has flown home from Spain after pulling out of the Madrid Open with a wrist injury.

The 43-year-old Wimborne-based player now has just two events left to save his European Tour playing privileges for next year.

"I flew out early Tuesday morning and have been receiving treatment on the injury, but couldn't hold a club yesterday so had to pull out and fly back," explained Emerson.

"I won't know if I will be able to play in the next event until I've had a MRI scan," he added.

Emerson, currently languishing in 219th place on the money list, needs to earn approximately £130,000 to stand any chance of climbing high enough up the order of merit.

The final two events in this season's schedule are the Portugal Masters (October 18-21) and the Mallorca Classic a week later.

Fellow Dorset professional Lee James, who had already withdrawn from the Madrid event, has flown to America for three weeks practice.

James, who is 201st on the money list, has given up on this year's schedule in a bid to try and regain his form for next month's stage two of the qualifying school.

"I was too far down the entry lists to get into the final two events anyway and would have needed to win in Madrid to keep my card," said James.

"That wasn't going to happen the way things were going, so it was important to concentrate on getting my game back together.

"The theory goes that every time I practice in America I rediscover my game," added James, who is an honorary member at the Golf Club of Georgia.

Poole-based Shaun Webster, meanwhile, carded an opening round 77 in Madrid.

Webster, who is 204th on the money list, carded three triple bogeys in seven-over-par score.