Victor Perez has withdrawn from this week's ISPS HANDA World Invitational which puts another dent in his Ryder Cup chances.
The Frenchman opened up with a four-over 76 at Galgorm Castle and was due to tee off at Castlerock at 8.03 this morning but he was forced to pull out without hitting a shot – the reason for his withdrawal hasn't been revealed yet.
Perez began the week in seventh spot on the European Points List – ahead of him are Tommy Fleetwood, Adrian Meronk, Yannik Paul and Bob MacIntyre in third and in final automatic qualifying spot. Fleetwood is playing in the States this week while Meronk and Paul aren't playing in Northern Ireland.
So Perez, if fit, will need something special at the Czech Masters and the following week's European Masters if he is to force his way into the automatic spots or else he will need a pick from Luke Donald on September 4.
The Frenchman's dip in form has come at precisely the wrong time. After winning in Abu Dhabi at the start of the season, a Rolex Series victory that moved him up to 63rd in the world, he then tied for 12th at the PGA Championship but there have since been missed cuts at the KLM Open, US Open and British Masters.
Coming into this week Perez was hopeful of putting in a big performance to move up the standings.
“At this point it really comes down to playing well these three weeks to get an automatic spot to qualify,” he said. “All the work has been highly centred around the Ryder Cup. You always want to improve. If you are not trying to get better, then you are getting worse. That is my kind of mentality.
“I feel ready to go. I have showed good form in practice at home which are good signs for me. To have good performances you are going to need good putting. I have put a little emphasis on that. Mentally you have to want to perform. You can’t just shy away from the moment.”
