Remember when Harris English was set to play his first singles match at the Ryder Cup, only to be benched due to the controversial ‘envelope rule’? Viktor Hovland‘s neck injury triggered the rule, and English, fully healthy, was benched. It was an unfortunate moment. Hovland broke his silence on it at DPWIC, saying people should have been more empathetic. English is sharing his take on In Between Shots.

“I was in the locker room warming up, getting ready to play. I knew Victor wasn’t feeling well from the day before. It was tough to get that news, but I had to get over it as quickly as I could—okay, I’m not playing golf today,” he said in the podcast. “I’m going to be the best teammate I can and go cheer on my team. Every single guy was playing really good golf, and we almost had an all-time epic comeback.”

Heading into the final day of the Ryder Cup at Bethpage Black, the Americans trailed Europe 11.5 to 4.5. Sunday turned out to be one of the most thrilling final days in the tournament’s history. English watched from the sidelines as his teammates gave it their all, but they lost 15-13. This isn’t the first time Harris English is sharing his thoughts on not playing. Last time he did, he was “pretty pissed.” 

The question of whether the rule should change drew a more complicated response from English.

“That’s a tough question. It’s been in play for a long time. I know Viktor was hurt. 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,” he explained. “I might not ever play a Ryder Cup again. So it hurts. It definitely hurts the other player who loses that opportunity to play.”

“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 s–ks that it happened this year.”

U.S. Captain Keegan Bradley didn’t mince words after the loss. He publicly asked for this rule to change. Meanwhile, European Captain Luke Donald had a different point of view.  He talked about the 1991 Ryder Cup, 14.5-13.5 at Kiawah Island Golf Resort in South Carolina, which the U.S. won. Steve Pate got hurt in a car accident the night before the event started. His bruised ribs kept him from playing singles. If the Americans had to give up a full point, the Europeans would have kept the Ryder Cup with a score of 14-14.

In the 1993 Ryder Cup, Sam Torrance from Scotland had to drop out of his singles match because of an infected toe. Lanny Wadkins offered to sit out for the Americans. The U.S. team won the Ryder Cup in England at The Belfry, 15–13. This was the first time since 1993 that the ‘envelope rule’ was used in the tournament. The rule may have a long history, but for one American golfer, it cost him something irreplaceable.

Despite the disappointment, Harris English hasn’t let it define his season.

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Harris English finishes strong at Hero World Challenge

English ended his 2025 campaign on a high note with a good T8 result at the Hero World Challenge in the Bahamas. He shot 15-under and won $207,500. There were just 20 participants at the Albany Golf Club event in December, but English did well against a field full of stars, including Scottie Scheffler and Hideki Matsuyama.

The finish capped a season that had its bright spots.

English earned his fifth PGA Tour win at the Farmers Insurance Open in January, snapping a drought that lasted almost four years. He finished in the top ten four times during the year and moved up to 13th in the Official World Golf Ranking. His ball-striking stayed the same, but he’s still looking for that extra edge in putting.

The comeback is special for the golfer. English had hip surgery in February 2022 to fix a ruptured labrum. It took him almost two years to fully recover. His swing coach noted that he didn’t return to full strength until early 2024, when he had to get used to more movement after the surgery.

This season, Harris English showed that he deserves to be considered one of the best golfers in the world, even though the Ryder Cup prevented him from proving it when it mattered most.