Ryder Cup star Paul Casey pulls out of BMW Championship with back problem
By Keith Jackson
Last Updated: 10/09/18 3:40pm
Paul Casey is an injury concern for the Ryder Cup after he withdrew from the delayed final round of the BMW Championship.
Tournament organisers announced that the Englishman pulled out due to a back problem shortly ahead of the resumption of play on Monday morning, following the complete washout on Sunday.
Casey was four under par and 13 shots adrift of leader and Ryder Cup team-mate Justin Rose after three rounds at Aronimink, but his withdrawal should not affect his chances of being in the 30-man field for the Tour Championship.
He is projected to fall from 17th to 26th in the FedExCup standings, and it is not yet clear whether he will be fit to compete in the season finale at East Lake in Atlanta.
No details have been given on the severity of his injury, which has flared up less than a week after he was unveiled as one of Europe's four wildcard picks by captain Thomas Bjorn.
Casey suffered a back problem on the eve of The Players Championship in May and was forced to pull out ahead of the first round at Sawgrass, although he returned to action a fortnight later in the BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth, finishing in a tie for 20th.
The 41-year-old, who is looking forward to playing in the Ryder Cup for the first time since 2008, won his first PGA Tour title for nine years at the Valspar Championship in March, when he held off Tiger Woods and Patrick Reed to clinch a one-shot victory.
The win lifted Casey to 12th in the world rankings, although he has since slipped to 16th and has not managed a top-20 finish on the PGA Tour since being runner-up to Bubba Watson at the Travelers Championship in June.
