Not many golfers can relate to how Harris English would have felt at the Ryder Cup on Sunday, after he was informed that he would not be playing in the singles.
In fact, there are only two other players in the history of the game who have experienced what English went through during the Sunday singles matches at the Ryder Cup this year.
English was upset after being forced to miss the Ryder Cup singles matches at Bethpage Black, understandably so.
Viktor Hovland injured his neck during the Saturday afternoon four-ball matches and as a result, the Ryder Cup envelope rule was brought into play.
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Immediately after the singles matches on Sunday had finished, English called for the envelope rule to be scrapped.
Has he changed his opinion on the matter, though, now that he’s had more time to think and reflect?
Harris English makes Ryder Cup Sunday singles admission
At one point during the final day’s play at Bethpage Black, it seemed like Team USA were all set to complete the comeback of all comebacks.
Europe won by a score of 15-13 in the end, but there was a time when even the most ardent of European fans thought they were going to be on the wrong end of history.
What a shame it was for English to miss out on playing in the midst of what was an electric atmosphere on Sunday.
English was asked about his initial reaction after finding out he would not be playing in the Sunday singles, during an interview with Golf on CBS.
“Yeah, it was tough. It was tough. I was in the locker room, warming up, getting ready to play,” the former Georgia Bulldog admitted.
“I knew Viktor wasn’t feeling well from the day before. Yeah, it was tough to get that news, but I kind of had to get over it as quickly as I could, and change like, okay, I’m not playing golf today, I’m going to be the best teammate I can be, and go cheer on my team and watch them play and we almost had an unbelievable comeback.
“I mean, every single guy was playing some really good golf, and we almost had an all-time epic comeback.“
English was asked whether he genuinely believed that the United States had a chance to win during the Sunday singles.
He said: “100%. I mean, I was looking at the pairings, even before before the round, I was like, I can see a scenario where we win every single match, and it almost happened.
“I know the Europeans were probably getting nervous. We were getting a lot of momentum going, and it could have easily flipped to where we could have won every single match.“
Harris English says if the envelope rule should be changed
English responded when he was asked to give his honest opinion about the envelope rule.
“That’s a tough question,“ he said.
“I know it’s been in play for a long time. I don’t know how to change it. I know Victor was hurt, I know that.
“He came up to me. I know he couldn’t play, but it hurts my ability to play for my team on Sunday, and it’s something I’ll never get back. I know that I might not ever play a Ryder Cup again, so it hurts. It definitely hurts the other player who is able to play and loses that opportunity to play.
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“So I don’t know how they should change it. I mean, I get that you don’t want to have an alternate up there the whole week, but it’s tough.
“I mean, I know that rule has been in play for a long time, and they’ve only had to use it a couple times, and it just sucks that it happened this year.“
That’s a really fair assessment from English and an admirable one as well, given the pain he must have felt after missing out on playing in the Sunday singles matches.
Whether the envelope rule at the Ryder Cup will ever be changed remains to be seen, but it is fair to argue that there is surely a better solution than one that involves a player completely missing out on the singles matches.
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