Viktor Hovland is returning to competition at the DP World India Championship two weeks after his controversial withdrawal from the Ryder Cup. The Norwegian bowed out of Sunday singles due to a disc bulge in his neck.
As a refresher on the particulars of the WD: Owing to a pre-tournament captain’s agreement, his scheduled Sunday match with Harris English was halved, with both teams earning half a point. Europe ultimately won 15-13.
“I think we’re so used to in sports, if you can’t play because you’re hurt, obviously that should be a loss of point,” Hovland said in India. “But I think in the spirit of the Ryder Cup, and the spirt 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 gentleman’s agreement that, OK, you were hurt this time, and maybe the next time there’s a guy on the U.S. team is 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.”
After his team’s narrow defeat, American captain Keegan Bradley advocated for changing the rule, while European squad skipper Luke Donald emphasized that the rule exists for a reason and is upheld by the captains’ agreement. Hovland appears to share this perspective.
“If you do change the rule and you give away a point, now there’s also the angle that OK, knowing that the other team is going to put out their best player most likely in the first few groups, they can just kind of put me out as a sacrificial lamb and take the L against their best player,” Hovland said. “So there’s other ways around it, and I think … I don’t think there’s any ideal way to do it. … I think that’s just a better way overall to do it, even though it’s just a tough situation, and at the end of the day, I think we’d all be wanting to go out there and play.”
Regarding his health, Hovland told reporters he didn’t touch a club for over a week after the Ryder Cup to let his neck recover. He was able to play two rounds at home without much pain, prompting his decision to make the trip to India.
Hovland tees off at 9:55 p.m. ET with Rory McIlroy and Ben Griffin.
Your Reaction?LIKE0LEGIT0WOW0LOL0IDHT0FLOP0OB0SHANK1
