Why did Ryder Cup contestant Yannik Paul withdraw from the BMW International Open 2023? Real reason explored

Ryder Cup contender Yannik Paul made a last-minute decision to pull out of the DP World Tour's BMW International Open on Thursday due to a back injury. He is in contention for a place on Team Europe for the event, as he sits in the qualifying position in the European standings for now.

A good performance at Golfclub München Eichenried, Germany, this week would have strengthened Paul's chances for the biennial event scheduled later this year. Unfortunately, an unspecified back injury forced him to drop out of the tournament.

Although the 29-year-old German couldn't compete on his home soil, he has had a good run this season. Paul, who claimed his maiden win on the DP World Tour last October, is just behind Jon Rahm and Rory McIlroy in the European Points List. This year, he has four top-10 finishes, including two runner-up finishes.

Even if Paul doesn't qualify automatically for the Ryder Cup, he will still have a chance to become the event's rookie by becoming one of the captain's picks. The injury has briefly halted his quest for a spot, but he still has a few tournaments to go before the qualification deadline.

Paul spoke about his chances for the Ryder Cup at the pre-event conference of the BMW International Open. He said, as per Golf Monthly:

“We’re getting closer but there’s still a Rolex Series event, the Open, a Major, so a lot of events with a lot of points, and everything is really close together.

"We’re all fighting for that last spot as Jon and Rory are high up. I’m trying to focus. I would love to play there but I’m trying to focus on what I can control."

He added that he was trying to play well and wanted to go for one of the ten cards on the PGA Tour.

"If I can play well, get in contention, win a few then the Ryder Cup will take care of itself," he said.

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When is the Ryder Cup 2023 taking place? Schedule and tournament details explored

The Ryder Cup trophy is pictured in front of a BMW car during the pro-am prior to the BMW International Open at Golfclub München Eichenried, Germany

The 2023 Ryder Cup will be held from September 29 to October 1 at the Marco Simone Golf & Country Club in Rome, Italy. This marks a historic moment as Italy hosts the tournament for the first time ever.

Named after English businessman Samuel Ryder, the tournament involves teams from Europe and the United States. The hosting rights alternately switch between the two participating nations.

Since 1979, when Team Britain was expanded to Team Europe, Team Europe has triumphed in the team event 11 times, while Team USA has emerged victorious nine times. Notably, Phil Mickelson holds the record for the highest number of appearances in the tournament, having been a part of Team USA on 12 occasions from 1995 to 2018.

Luke Donald is the non-playing captain of Team Europe, and the USA team will be led by Zach Johnson this year.