Harris English Opens Up On Envelope Rule

During the Ryder Cup, there were plenty of ups and downs.  There has been a sense that the whole game was overshadowed by the heckler situation, but there was also a rarely invoked rule that came into the spotlight.  The envelope rule was implemented, and the player on the receiving end of it was Harris English.  Recently, he gave his opinion on the ruling, and he wasn’t happy about it.

Why The Envelope Rule?

For a brief rundown of what happened.  Viktor Hovland has been struggling with a neck injury for some time.  Hovland felt it flare back up during the Saturday rounds and had to go to the hospital.  With the European team down one player, the tournament was unbalanced, and that’s when the envelope rule kicked in.  This is something that is evoked rarely enough that the timespan between invocations can be decades long.  Each captain writes down one player that they feel can sit out for a round when needed, and that’s exactly what happened.  It just so happened that Harris English’s name was in that envelope.

English On The Ruling

Before the rule was invoked, Harris English was preparing to play the singles match scheduled for that Sunday.  That match happened to be against Hovland.  He was actually pretty quiet on the matter until this Wednesday, when he sat down for an interview on the PGA Tour Radio on SiriusXM.  Apparently, at the time, he was “pretty pissed.”  English went on to say the following.

“Like I’m gearing up, ready to go play a Sunday Singles match at the Ryder Cup.  That was one of my two main goals this year was to make the Ryder Cup.  To not be awarded that opportunity to play on Sunday, it really sucked,” English said.

Despite being sidelined for the final day, English still enjoyed his experience at the Ryder Cup.  Even got some advice from Scottie Scheffler during a practice round.  He wasn’t happy about having to sit out, but he still had a great time seeing the teams compete that Sunday.  Victor Hovland still feels really bad for English.  His own injury kept English out for the final day, and he was also aware of how upset he was about not being able to play.

Meanwhile, US team captain Keegan Bradley thinks the rule should be changed.  It is rarely invoked, so issues with it are just as rare.  European team captain Luke Donald is more accepting about it, saying that “the rule is the rule…”

Harris English In The Next Ryder Cup

Currently, Harris English is playing in the RSM Classic, the final tournament of the FedEx Fall series.  He is also looking forward to the next Ryder Cup, which will take place at Adare Manor in Ireland in 2027.  If English qualifies, the likelihood of the envelope rule taking place again is very low.  Harris English should be able to go the full tournament without a hitch.  Until then, there are two whole seasons to help make up for the missed opportunity.