Why isn’t Viktor Hovland playing in the Ryder Cup on Sunday? The envelope rule explained

Viktor Hovland has been deemed unfit to play in his Ryder Cup singles match against Harris English, which was scheduled for the final spot in Sunday’s order.

The Norwegian withdrew from Saturday afternoon’s four-balls session after injuring his neck during the morning foursomes. There had been speculation over whether Hovland would recover in time for Sunday’s action, but he is ultimately unavailable. The contest is recorded as a tie, leaving only 11 singles matches to be played instead of 12.

Ryder Cup ‘envelope rule’ comes into play

Hovland’s absence has triggered the little-known Ryder Cup “envelope rule.”

When captains submit their singles order, they also provide an envelope containing the name of one player who will sit out if an opposing player is forced to withdraw due to illness or injury. If used, the designated match is canceled and automatically ends in a tie.

English named in Team USA envelope

On this occasion, English, who was already set to face Hovland, was the player named in Team USA captain Keegan Bradley’s envelope.

Europe closing in on victory

As a result of the tie, Europe now need just 2 points from the remaining 11 singles matches to retain the trophy they captured in Rome in 2023, and 2.5 points to win it outright.

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