Luke Donald provides injury update on Viktor Hovland as rare Ryder Cup rule could be triggered

Luke Donald has provided an injury update on Viktor Hovland after he was forced out of the Ryder Cup Saturday fourballs for Europe with a neck issue.

Hovland was due to join Matt Fitzpatrick against Patrick Cantlay and Sam Burns on a fiery day two at Bethpage before he was replaced by Tyrell Hatton.

The pair won on the last with birdie putts conceded in the anchor match of the fourballs, with Europe clinching a 11.5-4.5 advantage over the USA heading into Sunday singles.

Hovland is pitted against Ryder Cup rookie Harris English on the final day in New York, but as Donald offered an insight into his current condition on Saturday night, he cast doubt over whether the Norwegian will be able to compete.

“He was feeling quite uncomfortable in the middle of the round this morning,” Donald said. “He got some physio. He was given a lot of anti-inflammatories during the round.

“He finished. He was feeling okay. He went in to rest, and then he went back out to the range to try and hit some balls. And when he got to the driver, he hit one, and it was very painful.

“He hit another one, and it got even more painful. It was at that point that he thought, you know, I'm not going to be able to play to the level that I think I can.

“So it was a last-minute decision to switch him out. Tyrrell literally warmed up for about ten minutes. We knew it was a possibility, but we were hoping that he would play.

“He is on his way now to go get an MRI, another 20, 30 minutes away, and we'll see in the morning what he's like. It's definitely stiffened up a little bit. He would love to play, and he'll do everything he can to play.”

Should Hovland be ruled out, it will trigger the rare “envelope rule” that has only been used two times in the Ryder Cup since its introduction in 1979, and one that will give the captains a tricky, awkward choice.

When the captains lodge their team selection for singles play, they must also provide a sealed envelope containing the name of one player they would bench, should a player from the other team pull out with illness or injury. Such a pairing is regarded as a tied match.

Hovland had earlier delivered one of the moments of day two in New York when he made a long putt on the 17th hole to retain a one up lead against Scottie Scheffler and Russell Henley.

The Norwegian and Scottish partner Bob MacIntyre celebrated wildly, before sealing the victory one up with a par on the 18th.