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Viktor Hovland has withdrawn from Ryder Cup singles due to injury to trigger the bizarre envelope rule, making Europe 12-5 leaders before Sunday singles started with half a point handed to both sides.
The Norwegian was forced out of the Saturday fourballs for Europe with a neck issue, with Tyrrell Hatton stepping in to partner Matt Fitzpatrick to victory over Patrick Cantlay and Sam Burns on a fiery day two at Bethpage
Hovland was set to face Harris English on the final day in New York, but Europe’s leader Luke Donald is one player down, meaning the envelope rule, where both captains select a player before the event in case of withdrawals from Sunday singles, has been activated.
Hovland has been managing the neck issue since the Travelers Championship in June. He received treatment on Saturday but was unable to return for Saturday fourballs. He underwent an MRI scan on Saturday night and woke up on Sunday unable to move his neck. Even after a warm-up on Sunday morning, Hovland was unable to play.
Hovland said: “There is nothing more I would like to do than be out there representing Team Europe and trying to help them win the Ryder Cup today. Not being able to do so is pretty heartbreaking. I will be backing my team as hard as I can and rooting them on.”
Dr Andrew Murray, Ryder Cup Europe’s Chief Medical Officer, said: “Viktor’s pain started during the morning foursomes, where he received treatment and medication from the physio and medical team on course during the match. Following this he attempted to warm up for Saturday fourballs, but experienced increasing pain while swinging a golf club, and a lack of range of movement in his neck and withdrew, being replaced by Tyrrell Hatton.
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Viktor Hovland could miss out on the Sunday singles (Getty Images)
“An MRI was arranged following liaison between Team Europe and PGA of America on-site medical team, which confirmed a flare up of a previous injury – a disc bulge in his neck by a medical imaging specialist.
This morning, Viktor received ongoing treatment but unfortunately he is not able to rotate or flex his neck to one side making playing the singles impossible.”
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Viktor Hovland of Team Europe talks with captain Luke Donald (Getty Images)
“He was feeling quite uncomfortable in the middle of the round this morning,” Donald said on Saturday. “He got some physio. He was given a lot of anti-inflammatories during the round.
“He finished. He was feeling okay. He went in to rest, and then he went back out to the range to try and hit some balls. And 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, you know, I’m not going to be able to play to the level that I think I can.
“So it was a last-minute decision to switch him out. Tyrrell literally warmed up for about ten minutes. We knew it was a possibility, but we were hoping that he would play.
“He is on his way now to go get an MRI, another 20, 30 minutes away, and we’ll see in the morning what he’s like. It’s definitely stiffened up a little bit. He would love to play, and he’ll do everything he can to play.”
The “envelope rule” has rarely been used, but did occur on two occasions since its introduction in 1979.
When the captains make their team selection for singles play, they also give a sealed envelope containing the name of one player they would bench, should a player from the other team pull out with illness or injury. Such a pairing is then considered as a tied match.
Hovland had earlier delivered one of the moments of day two in New York when he made a long putt on the 17th hole to retain a one up lead against Scottie Scheffler and Russell Henley.
The Norwegian and Scottish partner Bob MacIntyre celebrated wildly, before sealing the victory one up with a par on the 18th.
