It's been a forgettable end of the year for Luke Donald.

The Englishman has been forced to withdraw from his final event of the year after seeking medical advice for chest pains he experienced in Sea Island, Georgia.

The 39-year-old former world number one was originally in the field at the RSM Classic, but, as pain in his chest grew worse across Thursday, he forfeited and sought treatment at a local hospital.

Knowing the type of character Donald is, he would have loved to continue in the tournament, but when it comes to health and in particular issues in the chest, it's better to be safe than sorry.

England’s Donald posted on his official Instagram page: “Well that wasn’t quite the finish to my year I had in mind!! Had some chest pain last night and into this morning & it kept getting worse.

“After some medical advice, I had to withdraw & was shipped off to the hospital to get my heart looked at. After 7 hours of tests all looks good with my heart thankfully.

“A big thank you to the staff at the South East Georgia Brunswick hospital for taking good care of me. Time to put my feet up for a few weeks, recharge, regroup and get ready for a big 2018.”

You can see Donald's Instagram post below.

As you can see, with over 10,000 likes, and also plenty of comments, all golf fans want to see Donald make a full recovery and return to the golf course as soon as possible.

Donald, whose last win on the PGA Tour came in 2012, had been partnered with Brandt Snedeker and Sea Island resident Matt Kuchar for the first two rounds. Chris Kirk was the early leader.