Phil Mickelson has joined Padraig Harrington in withdrawing from the BMW Championship, less than 24 hours after the American registered his third win of the year on the PGA Tour.
Yesterday the left-hander held off the challenge of Tiger Woods to claim victory in the Deutsche Bank Championship in Boston - the second tournament of four which make up the Fed-Ex Cup.
His absence in Lemont was not entirely unexpected, especially with the season-ending Tour Championship to follow next week.
"This decision was not an easy one to make and in no way is meant as disrespectful to the tour, or sending a message to anyone," Mickelson said in a statement.
"I've talked for weeks about needing to find a balance between my game, my business affairs and my family, and now is the time for me to take some time off."
Mickelson is not the only big name who will not tee it up at Cog Hill on Thursday.
Open champion Harrington is also taking the week off, citing fatigue, while former Ryder Cup captain Bernhard Langer and Paul Goydos are also absent, cutting the field to 66 players.
None of the first three play-off events has attracted a full field, with world number one Woods the most notable absentee from the first while Ernie Els and Scott Verplank skipped the second.
