Viktor Hovland Addresses the Envelope Rule

Sunday at the Ryder Cup was an interesting day for lots of reasons.

It followed the shit-show that was Saturday at Bethpage Black, Team USA made a stunning comeback that put the fate of the Cup in serious question for a minute there, and Viktor Hovland was forced to withdraw from the final session, Sunday Singles.

Thanks to the envelope rule, Harris English sat out Sunday for the Americans, and he and Hovland were each awarded half a point, reflecting a halved match. As Keegan Bradley’s squad continued to fight back and put points on the board, it quickly became clear that that half point for the Europeans could be the difference.

The final tally was 15-13, so Team Europe would have won regardless, but even Bradley called for a rule change in his closing press conference.

Hovland didn’t touch a club for a week and a half following the Ryder Cup, but he’s back in action at the DP World India Championship.

“I played two 18-hole rounds in a row back-to-back, and my neck felt okay, so I decided to fly over here and give it a chance,” Hovland said on Tuesday. He also noted that he won’t have driver in his hands very often around Delhi GC (India), which is the club that puts the most stress on his neck.

“Hopefully we'll stick to the 3-iron, and the neck will be fine,” Hovland added.

As you’d imagine, it didn’t take long for the Norwegian to be asked about Sunday on Long Island.

"The whole situation was pretty upsetting, just the fact that I didn't get to play, and I felt really bad for Harris, who also didn't get to play a match, even though there was nothing wrong with him. He just didn't get to play, and he was upset about that, and I feel very bad for not being able to compete,” Hovland said.

“It's tough. I think we're so used to, in sports, that if you can't play because you're hurt, obviously, that should be a loss of point. But I think in the spirit of the Ryder Cup and the spirit of the game and the history of it, knowing that this Ryder Cup is just a part of many, many Ryder Cups to come, I think it's more of a gentlemen's agreement that okay, you were hurt this time and maybe the next time there's a guy on the U.S.'s team and we're all kind of sympathetic about the person being hurt and not being able to play.

“I think there's kind of a mutual understanding that if we were healthy, we would all go out there and play. I don't think people are using that to really finagle the system and try and squeak by.”

I understand where Hovland is coming from, it's the tradition of the match. But keep in mind, if a player has to withdraw from a match in the Solheim Cup, she loses.

Anyway, Hovland isn’t the only member of the winning Ryder Cup team in India this week. He’s joined by Rory McIlroy, Tommy Fleetwood, Shane Lowry, and their captain, Luke Donald. Hovland will play his first 36 holes alongside McIlroy and Ben Griffin, a member of Team USA.

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