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Team Europe defended its Ryder Cup crown in a more nail-biting fashion than it would have preferred on a day where Viktor Hovland triggered the “envelope rule” that led to Keegan Bradley calling for an overhaul to the rules. However, Luke Donald does not seem to think there’s any need to change the policy that made it a little bit easier for his squad to ward off a historic comeback.
In 1999, the United States became the first team to crawl out of a four-point hole to win the Ryder Cup when it orchestrated a comeback for the ages in The Battle of Brookline. The Europeans matched that feat when the “Miracle at Medinah” unfolded in 2012, and the Americans needed an even more impressive one facing an 11 1/2-4/1/2 deficit heading into Sunday at Bethpage Black this year.
The visiting team only needed two points to retain the Ryder Cup by the time play got underway due to the neck injury that prevented Viktor Hovland from teeing up for his individual match. That development triggered the “envelope rule” that led to Harris English also sitting out as each side received half a point, which seemed poised to be a bit of an afterthought before Team USA gave Europe a serious run for its money.
We were subsequently treated to a debate concerning the merits of the envelope rule, and team captains Keegan Bradley and Luke Donald do not see eye to eye on that particular topic.
Luke Donald denied the Ryder Cup’s envelope rule needs to change after Keegan Bradley called for it to be abolished before the next international showdown
I should probably explain what the “envelope rule” actually is for the uninitiated people who might not even know what I’m talking about.
The policy was first introduced in 1979 as a contingency plan to address the possibility of an injury that keeps a player on the Ryder Cup roster from participating. Each captain is tasked with picking one golfer on their squad who will sit out if a competitor is forced to do the same, and each team will receive half a point if the rule is exercised.
It’s a fairly awkward task that essentially asks each captain to reveal who they think their worst player is, but the names are kept secret unless the envelope rule is triggered.
Prior to this year, that had only happened twice (although it had really only transpired on a single occasion). Steve Pate was injured in a car crash that kept him out of the Ryder Cup in 1991 (David Gilford sat for Europe), while Sam Torrance was sidelined by a toe injury in 1993 that led to Lenny Wadkins voluntarily pulling himself to avoid any awkwardness.
This year, we learned that Keegan Bradley decided to make Harris English the odd man out after Viktor Hovland was unable to move his neck when he woke up on Sunday after the ailment forced him to withdraw from his match on Saturday.
The half point the two teams split ended up being a moot point when you consider Europe won 15-13 (and would have retained the Ryder Cup if the two sides had tied), but according to The Independent, that didn’t prevent Bradley from expressing his disdain with the envelope rule, saying:
“It has to change. I have a few ideas but I’m not going to tell you right now. I mean, the rule has to change. I think it’s obvious to everybody in the sports world, in this room. Nothing against Viktor. But that rule needs to change by the next Ryder Cup.”
European captain Luke Donald disputed that assertion but didn’t really do much to justify his position aside from citing the length of time the rule has been around, noting:
“We have contracts for a reason, a captains’ agreement for a reason, for situations that occur. I want to center it back to Viktor; I would have had absolute faith in him to deliver a point today. He couldn’t play. He was gutted.
The rule is the rule and it’s been in place for a long time.”
The powers that be will have plenty of time to debate a potential change before the Ryder Cup is held in Ireland for the second time when it heads to Adare Manor in 2027.