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Former No. 1 Luke Donald taking time off to let ailing back heal

Luke Donald is stepping away from golf to try to heal an ailing back.

A former world No. 1, Donald said on Twitter that he has been trying to play with back pain for the past few months and has decided to get treatment and take time off to recover.

The 40-year-old Englishman hasn't won since the end of 2013 in Japan, and he missed the cut in three of the five events he played in this season.

The PGA and PGA Tour player of the year in 2011, Donald has finished no higher than tied for third in any major, doing so at the 2005 Masters and 2006 PGA Championship.

Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.