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 was said to be just a precautionary move. But it was announced shortly before the Sunday singles started that Hovland couldn’t play.
