Zanotti discharged from hospital after being hit by ball

The 31-year-old Paraguayan was on the 16th fairway at the Kennemer Golf Club in the Dutch coastal town of Zandvoort when he was struck by a ball hit from the 14th tee by Frenchman Alexandre Kaleka.

(Reuters)

Play was suspended for nearly two hours but Zanotti, who won the BMW International Open earlier this season, did not lose consciousness and received treatment on the course before being taken to hospital.

"Thanks a lot for the messages, I have been discharged from the hospital. Now I will have to take a couple of weeks off," Zanotti said on Twitter.

Fellow players Felipe Aguilar and Ricardo Gonzalez accompanied Zanotti to hospital and the pair have also withdrawn from the tournament to stay with him.

Tournament director for the European Tour Miguel Vidaor said: The latest report from hospital is that all neurological tests have come back clear. We wish Fabrizio a speedy recovery."

Kaleka managed to shake off the incident, carding a par-four at the 14th and a birdie at the next hole on his way to a two-over-par 72.

Dutchman Joost Luiten was the first-round leader with a round of 65.

(Reporting By Michael Hann; editing by Amlan Chakraborty, Neville Dalton)