Viktor Hovland Withdraws from Ryder Cup Due to Injury
Norwegian golfer Viktor Hovland was forced to withdraw from his Sunday singles match at the 45th Ryder Cup due to a neck injury. This resulted in the teams splitting the point from one of the 12 singles matches. Hovland, who also withdrew from his four-ball match on Saturday, underwent an MRI at a New York hospital on Saturday night. Upon waking up on Sunday, he couldn’t move his neck. According to the Ryder Cup, Hovland tried to warm up at Bethpage Black on Sunday, but his mobility was limited.The substitution rule in the captains’ agreement requires each team captain to submit the name of a player in a sealed envelope who would not play in the event of an injury to a golfer on the opposing team. The captain of the American team, Keegan Bradley, introduced Harris English, who did not play on Sunday in singles. English was scheduled to play against Hovland in the closing match at 2:03 p.m. ET. Europe led 12-5 going into Sunday’s singles and ended up needing every point, withstanding a huge comeback from the United States to win, 15-13. Hovland, who said he has been dealing with neck pain for the last few months, began experiencing pain during his foursomes (alternate shot) match on Saturday morning. He received medication and physiotherapy on the course, but the pain did not go away. “An MRI scan was arranged following communication between the European Team and the medical team on site at the PGA of America, which confirmed an exacerbation of a previous injury: a disc bulge in the neck by a medical imaging specialist,” said Dr. Andrew Murray, medical director of Ryder Cup Europe, in a statement. “This morning, Viktor received ongoing treatment, but unfortunately he is unable to rotate or flex his neck to one side, making it impossible to play the singles.” Hovland, the world’s number 12 golfer, was scheduled to play with Matt Fitzpatrick in a four-ball match against Sam Burns and Patrick Cantlay on Saturday. Shortly before their tee time, Hovland was replaced by Tyrrell Hatton. Fitzpatrick and Hatton won the match 1 up. Europe needed to win just two of the 11 points available to secure the Ryder Cup after winning 16.5-11.5 in Rome two years ago.“There is nothing I would like more than to be there representing Team Europe and trying to help them win the Ryder Cup today,” Hovland said in a statement. “Not being able to do that is pretty heartbreaking. I will support my team as much as I can and cheer them on.”
Viktor Hovland
