Viktor Hovland is in Delhi to play the DP World India Championship. For the first time in three weeks, the Norwegian has broken his silence following the controversy surrounding his withdrawal from the Sunday singles at the Ryder Cup at Bethpage Black. Hovland, who suffered a neck injury during the second day, acknowledged that it was a “quite disappointing” moment, and adds that he believes it would not be fair to modify the well-known envelope rule.
Hovland’s injury forced the application of the rule whereby both teams receive half a point when one of the players cannot play their singles match, leaving out the player previously chosen in the opposing captain’s envelope, in this case, Harris English.
“It was a very frustrating situation, simply because I couldn’t play,” Hovland explained. “I felt very bad for Harris (English), who also couldn’t play despite being perfectly fine. He was disappointed, and so was I for not being able to compete.”
Europe ended up defeating United States despite only eleven matches being played on Sunday, but the situation sparked debate. Some players —including captain Keegan Bradley— called for a review of the rule, although Hovland remains firm: “In the spirit of the Ryder Cup and the history of the tournament, I think it should remain the same. It’s almost a gentleman’s agreement. If a player is injured, you accept it with sportsmanship, because you know it could happen to you next time.”
The 2023 FedEx Cup champion also warned that changing the rule could open the door to unethical strategies: “If the point is given automatically, some captains might use the injury as a tactic and put a ‘sacrificial’ player against the strongest opponent. There is no perfect solution.”
Regarding his physical condition, Hovland admits he hesitated until the last moment about travelling to India: “I went a week and a half without touching a club after the Ryder. I played two rounds in a row and my neck responded well, so I decided to come. On this course, you hardly need the driver, and that helps a lot because it’s the shot that bothers me the most.”
By the way, the Norwegian will share the first two rounds of the tournament with Rory McIlroy and Ben Griffin, Ryder Cup flavour.
