Viktor Hovland returned to action on the DP World Tour this week for the first time since he was forced to miss the Sunday singles matches at the Ryder Cup in September.
Hovland described his situation at the Ryder Cup as ‘pretty upsetting’ after a neck issue forced him to sit out on Sunday.
Europe won the Ryder Cup by a two-point margin, so the half point Hovland gained due to the envelope rule didn’t actually make any difference in the end.
Interestingly, Hovland spoke to the media about potential Ryder Cup rule changes before the event actually got underway at Bethpage Black.
Little did he know that he would be front and center of a very big controversy just a few days later, when he was forced to sit out the Saturday afternoon four-ball matches and then the Sunday singles.
How Viktor Hovland got on during first round since Ryder Cup neck injury
US Ryder Cup captain Keegan Bradley demanded that the envelope rule be changed moving forward, after Hovland missed the singles matches and was awarded a half point.
While there were some American fans who suggested that Luke Donald may have encouraged Hovland to sit out on Sunday rather than force the issue.
Anyone who thinks that doesn’t realize just how competitive Hovland is. If he even had a 50% chance to play in the Sunday singles at Bethpage, he would have been out on that first tee like a shot.
The Norwegian was back in action at the DP World India Championship this week, and he put in a very solid performance.
Hovland posted a round of one-under par 71, one that consisted of two birdies, one bogey and 15 pars. Now the challenge for him will be to make a few more birdies in India on day two.
How Rory McIlroy and Ben Griffin performed at the DP World India Championship
Rory McIlroy and Ben Griffin played alongside Hovland at Delhi Golf Club on Thursday.
McIlroy posted a round of three-under par 69, despite a poor bogey on the par-five eighth hole, his 17th of the day.
Meanwhile, Griffin’s round was a real mixed bag, with five birdies, an eagle and three bogeys eventually adding up to a 68.
Hovland, McIlroy and Griffin will go again on Friday as they look to make inroads into the lead currently held by Keita Nakajima on seven-under par, at the time of writing.
While Delhi Golf Club is extremely tight off the tee, there are plenty of scoring opportunities out there, and Hovland will need to put his foot down on the gas if he is to contend over the weekend at the DP World India Championship.
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