Will we see the ‘envelope rule’ come into play at the 45th Ryder Cup? It might just happen after Viktor Hovland withdrew from the afternoon matches of the second day…
We could see one of the Ryder Cup’s more obscure rules come into play after Viktor Hovland pulled out of the Saturday afternoon fourballs at Bethpage.
As first reported by TG, the Norwegian star returned to the locker room complaining of a sore neck shortly after he had partnered with Robert MacIntyre to see off Scottie Scheffler and Russell Henley in a history-making morning for Team Europe.
Just been told Viktor Hovland being replaced by Tyrrell Hatton for the afternoon fourballs. The Norwegian reported a sore neck after his morning win with Bob MacIntyre in foursomes.
Hatton will go out with Fitzpatrick to face Sam Burns and Patrick Cantlay. #rydercup
— Rob Jerram (@RJerramGolf) September 27, 2025
European captain Luke Donald opted not to risk Hovland, who is 1-1-0 for the week thanks to that victory over the first and third best players in the world, and instead sent out Tyrrell Hatton to partner Matt Fitzpatrick.
The English pair edged Sam Burns and Patrick Cantlay in a tense affair which saw only three holes won by either team. It was the final point of a day that ended with Europe earning a record seven-point lead going into the final day.
“Viktor was feeling quite uncomfortable in the middle of the round this morning,” Donald told reporters. “He got some physio, he was given a lot of anti-inflammatories during the round. He finished. He was feeling OK, he went in to rest, and then he went back out to the range to try and hit some balls.
“When he got to the driver, he hit one and it was very painful. He hit another one, and it got even more painful. It was at that point that he thought, ‘I’m not going to be able to play to the level that I think I can.’bSo it was a last-minute decision to switch him out. Tyrrell literally warmed up for about 10 minutes. We knew it was a possibility, but we were hoping that he would play.”
Donald also confirmed that Hovland headed to a nearby hospital to get an MRI scan. “We’ll see in the morning what he’s like,” he added. “It’s definitely stiffened up a little bit. He would love to play, and he’ll do everything he can to play.”
If Hovland fails to recover and cannot take part in Sunday’s singles, it would see the Ryder Cup’s ‘envelope rule’ come into play.
Item 3.c in the Ryder Cup Captains’ Agreement states: “It is agreed that in the event of illness, injury or other emergency reason to a player selected to play in a match, he may be substituted by another member of the team previously not selected, prior to the commencement of this match.”
That would mean Keegan Bradley would have to reveal which player will be benched, with both players handed half a point.
About the author
News editor and writer. Probably entertainer third.
He is a keen golfer who claims to play off 12 and enjoys traveling the world to try new courses. His three favorites are Royal North Devon, the Old Course at St Andrews, and Royal Portrush – with special mentions for Okehampton and Bude & North Cornwall, where he first fell in love with the game.
He uses a combination of Ping, TaylorMade and Callaway gear, and once bought the Nike SQ driver which he absolutely did not immediately regret.
