Add thelocalreport.in As A Trusted Source
Victor Hovland but doesn’t believe ryder cup Despite feeling “really bad” that his injury forced Team USA’s Harris English to sit out Sunday’s singles, he should ditch his controversial envelope rule.
Hovland withdrew from the final day of action due to a neck problem.Triggering the bizarre rule where both captains choose a player on the bench before the contest if one of the opposition cannot compete.
English was the unfortunate member of Team USA whose name was removed from the envelope, with the Ryder Cup rookie not given a chance to redeem himself after going winless in the first two days.
Branding how “disturbing” things were, Hovland feels that the “gentlemen’s consent” of the envelope rule is in keeping with the spirit of the fantasy competition.
“The whole situation was quite disturbing,” Hovland said. “Just the fact that I didn’t get a chance to play and I felt really bad for Harris, who didn’t get a chance to play a match, even though there was nothing wrong with him. He didn’t get a chance to play and he was upset about that and I felt really bad for not being able to compete.
“It’s tough. We’re so used to it in sports that if you can’t play because you’re injured, it should lead to a loss of points. But I think given the spirit of the Ryder Cup and the history of it, knowing that this Ryder Cup is part of many Ryder Cups to come, I think it’s a gentleman’s consensus that, OK, you had an injury this time, but maybe next time there’s a guy on the U.S. team (who gets it).” Hurt), and we all kind of sympathize with the guy who is hurt and not 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 really using that (envelope rule) to try to circumvent the system and get out quietly.”
Hovland also believes that changing the rule so that the injured player’s team gets a point could have an impact on selection strategy.
“If you change the rules and you give away a point, now there’s also the angle that knowing that the other team is going to take out their best player in the first few groups, they can take me out as the sacrificial lamb and take the L against their best player,” Hovland said.
“So there are other ways around it and I don’t think there’s an ideal way to do it, but I think overall this is a better way to do it, even though it’s a tough situation. And at the end of the day, I think we all want to go out there and play.”
The envelope rule has rarely been used, but had happened on two occasions prior to this year since its introduction in 1979.