#viktorhovland #rydercup #dpworldtour #pgatour
Viktor Hovland has finally broken his silence on the controversial “envelope rule” after being forced to withdraw from his Ryder Cup singles match vs Harris English due to a neck injury.
Speaking ahead of his return at the DP World Tour’s India Championship, Hovland said he stood by the rule despite criticism, explaining that in the spirit of team competition, both sides should share the outcome when a player can’t compete.
The Norwegian star’s withdrawal saw both teams receive half a point, as Shane Lowry and Tyrrell Hatton sealed victory for Team Europe.
you know, it’s the whole situation was pretty upsetting just the fact that I didn’t get to play and I felt really bad for uh Harris who also didn’t get to play a match even though, you know, there’s nothing wrong with him. He just um you know, didn’t get to to play and he was upset about that and I I feel very bad for not being able to compete and it’s it’s tough. Yeah, it’s hard to I I think we’re so used to in sports that yeah, if you can’t play because you’re hurt, you know, that’s obviously that that should be a loss of point. But I think in the spirit of the RDER Cup and and its spirit of the game and and the history of it, knowing that this Rder Cup is just a part of many many RDER cups to come, I think it’s more of a gentleman’s agreement that okay, you were you were hurt this time and maybe the next time the there’s a guy on the US’s team and we’re all kind of sympathetic about the PE person being being hurt and not being able to play. I think there’s kind of a mutual understanding that, you know, if we were healthy, we would all go out there and play. I don’t think people are using that to to really finagle the system and and and trying to, you know, squeak by. But and also to the other point, if if we do if you do change the rule and you give away a point now, there’s also the angle that okay, knowing that the other team is going to put out their best player most likely in the in the first few groups, they can just kind of put me out as a sacrificial lamb and and take the L against their their best player. So there’s there’s other way around it. And I think I don’t think there’s any ideal way to do it, but the the the most like the I I I think that’s just a better way overall to do it. Uh 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.
