A rule that has rarely been used in Ryder Cup history came into play before the start of singles matches on Sunday, as Viktor Hovland withdrew from the event due to an injury.
Hovland did not take part in the afternoon four-ball matches at Bethpage Black in Farmingdale, N.Y., on Saturday because of a neck injury. He had said he was going to receive treatment in hopes of being able to play in singles matches on Sunday, but he ended up having to withdraw.
Hovland’s inability to play led to the “envelope rule” being utilized. The rule, which was created in 1979, requires the captain of both Team USA and Team Europe to designate one golfer as the player who will sit out if a player on the opposing team is unable to play in singles matches due to injury. The designated player’s name is placed inside a sealed envelope in advance, that way the team has to commit to that player and cannot make a switch for strategic purposes.
The sealed anonymous envelope also saves the designated player the embarrassment of essentially being ranked as the worst player on his respective team. That player this year was Harris English for the U.S. The match between Hovland and English is treated as a tie, which means each team is awarded a half-point.
Viktor Hovland from Team Europe is unable to play in the Sunday Singles Matches due to injury.
— Ryder Cup Europe (@RyderCupEurope) September 28, 2025
The substitution Rule 3.d) of the Ryder Cup Captains’ Agreement requires each Team Captain to provide the name of one player, in the sealed envelope, who will not play in the case of… pic.twitter.com/GNPYgdzDew
Prior to Sunday, the “envelope rule” had been come into play just twice since it was introduced in 1979. The last time was at the 1993 Ryder Cup.
Team Europe had a huge lead over the U.S. heading into Sunday, which is why many people feel the “envelope rule” is flawed. Europe led 11.5-4.5 prior to the singles matches and needed 14.5 points to win the Ryder Cup and 14 points to retain it. Though the U.S. needed a miracle anyway, the automatic half point for Europe made the task even harder for the US to make a comeback on Sunday.
Either way, you will not hear anyone from Team USA use Hovland’s injury as an excuse. Captain Keegan Bradley’s team was dominated through the first two days of the Ryder Cup, and the tension between the two sides only made the U.S. look worse.
