Phil Mickelson withdrew from the BMW Championship on Saturday.
According to ESPN, Mickelson said that his poor position in the tournament and the fact that the Ryder Cup is in three weeks were the reasons for his withdrawl. The withdrawl is a surprise because three days ago Mickelson said that the BMW Championship was the one FedEx Cup playoff event that he wanted to play in. His goals now are to rest and prepare for the Ryder Cup which happens September 26-28 in Scotland.
"My primary goal is to rest and prepare for the Ryder Cup," Mickelson said in a statement. "Without a chance to contend at the Tour Championship, the most important thing for me now is to prepare for the Ryder Cup."
At the BMW Championship on Friday Mickelson shot 76 and was 14 shots out of the lead. He needed to finish fourth to have a chance at the Tour Championship next week, and said that without being able to compete at the Tour championship that it was more important to be ready for the Ryder Cup, according to the Associated Press.
Mickelson has been having his worst PGA Tour season in more than 10 years. This year is the first time that he has failed to qualify for the Tour Championship since the FedEx Cup playoffs began in 2007. He tied for second at the PGA Championship to qualify for the Ryder Cup, which will be his tenth Ryder Cup appearance. Mickelson hasn’t won a PGA Tour event this year, his first season without a win since 2003. It’s the third time that Mickelson hasn’t won an event since 1993.