Harris English found himself the unfortunate victim of the Ryder Cup ‘envelope rule’ on the final day of the competition.
English reacted well to Keegan Bradley telling him he wouldn’t be playing his singles match on Sunday, after the withdrawal of Europe’s Viktor Hovland.
Hovland pulled out of the Ryder Cup final day with a neck injury, with the envelope rule coming into play upon his withdrawal.
Bradley and Luke Donald were required to put a player’s name in an envelope at the beginning of the week in preparation for such circumstances, and English was the name chosen by the home captain.
The USA and Europe shared a point as the rule came into play, before the latter went on to win the Ryder Cup 15-13.
Harris English wants Ryder Cup rule change after missing out on Sunday singles
Shane Lowry retained the Ryder Cup for Europe with his putt on 18, celebrating wildly on the Bethpage Black green.
In stark contrast, there was real disappointment for English, who was asked if he hopes the DP World Tour and the PGA of America will change the envelope rule going forward.
He replied: “Yeah, it was tough. I know Viktor is hurt. He sent me a text. He came up to me, and I know he’s hurt.
“The rule is what it is; hopefully they’ll look at it at some point, but it sucked not going out there and playing today. But it is what it is, and I was part of the crowd today and contributed as much as I could.”
Harris English shares when he found out he wasn’t playing on the final day of the Ryder Cup
It would have been very painful to have been in English’s shoes at Bethpage Black as his side produced a superb fightback.
They ultimately fell short, but they must be commended for their efforts on the final day of what will go down as one of the most dramatic Ryder Cup battles of all time.
READ MORE: Luke Donald sends message to Keegan Bradley after winning the Ryder Cup at Bethpage Black
But after playing two matches across Friday and Saturday, a dejected English was not involved on Sunday, having been notified of his impending absence shortly before finalising his preparations.
Asked when he found out about the situation, English explained: “I’d say probably at 1:15 or so. I was kind of about ready to start my warmup, and they told me that I’m not playing today.
“I told them at the beginning of the week, I was like, if you want me to play one match, if you want me to play five matches, I’m going to do whatever you tell me to do.
“I was on the other side of it today, and man, it was unbelievable watching these guys fight, and glad I got to do it.”
And when asked how difficult it was to have missed out on a playing role, he replied: “Yeah, it’s way more stressful watching golf than actually playing golf.
“I could feel every shot with the guys and wanted Russ [Henley] to make that putt so bad on 18. It is what it is. But I’m happy for their fight, and we were ready to play today, and we’ll see what happens.”
It was clearly a stressful day all around for English, although his teammates undoubtedly went through the emotions even more on the course.
The Ryder Cup fans were treated to a stunning spectacle in New York, with Europe overcoming many hurdles to come away with a memorable win.
The USA meanwhile will be desperate to come out on top at Adare Manor in 2027, while English arguably has more motivation than most to make the away team next time out.
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