With Viktor Hovland‘s withdrawal from the Ryder Cup, Europe was gifted those 0.5 points, which might’ve been the game-changer for the team. The last time the away team won was in 2012. Back then, too, Europe had streamrolled the USA in Illinois, and the match is what we know today as ‘The Miracle of Medinah.’ Now, what one may call being upset by Team USA’s impending loss in Bethpage Black, several fans have come after Hovland, questioning the genuineness of his injury.

Golf podcaster Brendon Porath took to X to opine his controversial take. “Fans heckling Hovland, shouting that he looks fine and healthy. ‘We’ll see you next week!’ We know he would play the Sanderson if he could,” he wrote on X.

Hovland, after missing Saturday afternoon’s session, underwent an MRI, which revealed that he had re-aggravated a previous neck injury. Earlier, it was reported that the Norwegian had been experiencing a nagging pain in his neck for the past couple of weeks leading up to the Ryder Cup. However, this morning, when he woke up, he was not able to move his neck on either side. Hence, he was forced to withdraw from the biennial event.

His exit led to several undesirable consequences for Team USA. First, as per Ryder Cup rules, the rare ‘envelope rule’ had to be invoked. The person from the American team who suffered the unlucky exit was Harris English. Although he didn’t secure a win in the two matches he played, his removal might have come as a blow. Unlike Hovland, who was a captain’s pick, English was an automatic qualifier.

Later on, Keegan Bradley released a statement, saying, “It’s a strange rule, but we’ve got to go with what the rules say. He took it so well. I’m proud of him.”At the same time, Justin Thomas was seen shaking his head in disappointment upon hearing the news of Hovland’s withdrawal. His reaction stirred a lot of buzz on social media.

Partly the reason for such takes is that Hovland’s exit gives Europe an extra edge over the USA. You see, now both sides have lost one player, with each side equally receiving half a point. As Team Europe was already leading, this withdrawal might come as a blow to Team USA.

This could probably be the reason why American fans like Porath questioned Hovland’s exit. Did he withdraw as a strategic move to give Europe an upper hand? The atmosphere was already tense at Bethpage Black, with European players being treated brutally by New Yorkers. Moreover, tension between Tommy Fleetwood and Bryson DeChambeau, among others, heightened a lot of tension.

Europe might want to win the Cup to prove a point that they remain unformidable. This could be the reason why questions like these were raised. Questions were also raised on the rationality of the ‘envelope rule’, with many saying that the team whose player withdrew shouldn’t receive any points.

“Kind of an outrageous rule if we’re honest. If you can’t play, you should register a loss,” said Samuel Riggs of Foreplay Podcast. Even Beth Ann Nicholas, a prominent writer from Golfweek, expressed the absurdity of the rule, drawing an example from the Solheim Cup. “If you withdraw from singles in Solheim play, the full point goes to the other team. Believe this is the way to go!” The Solheim Cup is often called the women’s Ryder Cup.

In a hostile and competitive environment like that of the Ryder Cup, such questions are bound to arise. Meanwhile, for Hovland, it was a heartbreaking move.

Viktor Hovland regrets his withdrawal

After the reports came that Viktor Hovland will be withdrawing from the tournament, the Norwegian released a statement saying, “There is nothing more I would like to do than be out there representing Team Europe and trying to help them win the Ryder Cup today. Not being able to do so is pretty heartbreaking. I will be backing my team as hard as I can and rooting them on.”

When asked about Hovland’s situation, Luke Donald also expressed his sadness. “Yeah, he started stiffening up yesterday morning. Tried to go out in the afternoon but got worse and worse. Got an MRI last night. Really, really stiff this morning. Tried to go through his warm-up and just couldn’t play. So yeah, he’s devastated. He’s gutted. He wants to go out there and represent Team Europe. Yeah, it’s very, very unfortunate.”

This was Hovland’s third consecutive Ryder Cup appearance, and the first time he was a captain’s pick by Luke Donald. This year, he had shown an impressive performance, including a win at the Valspar Championship and a third-place finish at the US Open. Even at the Ryder Cup, before his exit, he secured a decent overall score of 1-1-1.