Phil Mickelson has pulled out of the BMW Championship in Denver to rest ahead of the Ryder Cup.
The 44-year-old American was 14 shots adrift of leader Sergio Garcia after two rounds at the Cherry Hills Country Club, having shot a six-over-par 76 on Friday.
Mickelson's decision means that he will miss the PGA Tour's FedEx Cup playoffs finale for the first time in his career, but with a fourth-place or higher finish needed in Colorado to even qualify for next week's Tour Championship, he felt that it was best to focus his attention on preparations for Gleneagles.
"My primary goal is to rest and prepare for the Ryder Cup," Mickelson said in a statement on pgatour.com.
"Without a chance to contend at the Tour Championship, the most important thing for me now is to prepare for the Ryder Cup."
The five-time Major champion is the most experienced player on Tom Watson's 12-man United States team.
