When Sam Torrance bruised his foot at the 1993 Ryder Cup, Lanny Wadkins volunteered his name for the envelope and sat out the Sunday singles.
This was the third time the envelope rule was ever used in Ryder Cup history, where one player sits out due to an injury to the opposition.
What is the Ryder Cup envelope rule?
The rule was established in 1979 when the format changed to the one we see today: four foursomes matches and four fourball matches, followed by 12 singles matches.
When the captains submit their singles lineups, they also submit one name in an envelope of the player they’d leave out if a player from the other team withdrew.
This match would be halved. In 2021, the captains were asked to submit a second name due to COVID-19 protocols. Fortunately, the envelope rule wasn’t needed.
The idea of players sustaining an injury before or during the Ryder Cup seems unfathomable.
After the Saturday fourballs of the 2025 Ryder Cup, Viktor Hovland withdrew to nurse a neck injury and was replaced by Tyrrell Hatton, who partnered Matt Fitzpatrick. It turned out to be just a precautionary move.
NCG has decided to play the brutal game and choose the player they’d put in the envelope from each side at the 2025 Ryder Cup.
Europe – Rasmus Hojgaard
This isn’t an exercise in criticism or throwing barbs, but European debutant Rasmus Hojgaard was beaten 6&5 in the Friday fourballs with Ludvig Aberg.
He made one birdie in the 13 holes that he played in the first two days at Bethpage. Even though Luke Donald’s side built a huge lead after three sessions, the captain opted for his best and most experienced players and left Hojgaard out.
So, only one pairs match for the Dane. His brother Nicolai played two fourball matches at the 2023 Ryder Cup in Rome, then lost to Xander Schauffele in the singles.
Given that Donald chose Hojgaard to only play once before Sunday on Long Island, you wouldn’t get much of a price on him putting the young star’s name in the envelope, if it ever came to it.
He is Europe’s only rookie, as the other 11 players all competed two years ago and won the cup at Marco Simone.
ALSO: Which European player do you want stood over a six-footer to win the Ryder Cup?
USA – Ben Griffin
Similar to the logic I have applied to Hojgaard and Team Europe, it would be highly likely that Ben Griffin would be the man to miss out on singles if the situation arose at the 45th Ryder Cup.
Griffin played in the Friday fourballs with Bryson DeChambeau, and the pair was beaten 1 down to the gutsy European duo of Tommy Fleetwood and Justin Rose.
Griffin, recognisable by his large, plated sunglasses, is a rookie for Team USA and had a great year on the PGA Tour. He has won the Zurich Classic of New Orleans and the Charles Schwab Challenge this year, and was more than worthy of a pick in US captain Keegan Bradley’s side.
He is one of a handful of rookies in the US dressing room in New York. However, Cameron Young has performed valiantly at his first Ryder Cup, and it would be a shock if US Open champion J.J. Spaun was benched if envelope rules became necessary.
There would also be outside claims for Harris English and Collin Morikawa, too, who lost both of their foursomes matches in convincing fashion.
Who would be in your Ryder Cup envelope? Tell us on X!
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The post You’re out! The brutal reality of the Ryder Cup envelope rule appeared first on National Club Golfer.
