Kent golfer Danielle Masters has lost her fight to retain her European Ladies Tour card.

Masters, who is from Maidstone and attached to Chart Hills, near Ashford, has been competing in Final Stage Qualifying School at La Manga this week after finishing a disappointing 109th in the 2008 European Order of Merit.

Injury forced her to miss a large part of the season and she only returned for the final event in Dubai, where a recurrence of her back injury forced her to retire.

She was competing at La Manga’s South Course and rounds of 75, 78 and 78 saw her finish joint 78th in the 95-strong field. The top 50 made to cut to play a fourth round and the leading 30 players on Thursday will receive their full cards for the 2009 season.

But it was a better day for Longfield’s Aitken, 22, a member at Mid-Kent, Gravesend, who carded a third round 75 to go with her opening 74 and 73.

She goes into the final round in joint 25th place and in a good position to book her first year on Tour.