Viktor Hovland has expressed his sympathy for Harris English after an injury at the Ryder Cup sparked a bizarre rule implementation.Hovland injured his neck and withdrew from the fourballs on the Saturday afternoon, with Tyrrell Hatton coming in to replace him. The Norwegian then pulled out of the singles matches on the Sunday as Team Europe closed in on their dramatic victory.His withdrawal brought the use of the envelope rule, which meant his scheduled opponent, English, was not allowed to compete for Team US.Their match was halved, with Hovland recalling the incident at the DP World India Championship.“The whole situation was pretty upsetting,” he said per CBS Sports. “Just the fact that I didn’t get to play, and I felt really bad for Harris, who also didn’t get to play a match, even though there was nothing wrong with him.“He just didn’t get to play, and he was upset about that, and I feel very bad for not being able to compete. “It’s tough. I think we’re so used to in sports, that if you can’t play because you’re hurt, obviously that should be a loss of point. “But I think, in the spirit of the Ryder Cup and the spirit of the game and the history of it, knowing that this Ryder Cup is just a part of many, many Ryder Cups to come, I think it’s more of a gentlemen’s agreement.“What, ‘Okay, you were hurt this time and maybe the next time there’s a guy on the U.S.’s team and we’re all kind of sympathetic about the person being hurt and not being able to play’.“I think there’s kind of a mutual understanding that, if we were healthy, we would all go out there and play. “I don’t think people are using that to really finagle the system and try and squeak by.”English was unable to compete as a result of the envelope ruleGettyHovland says he felt bad for his counterpartGettyOpposition to the envelope ruleThe envelope rule was used for just the fourth time ever at the Ryder Cup since its introduction in 1971.Each team’s captain provide a sealed envelope with the name of one of their 12 players.Should that player’s opponent in the singles matches withdraw with illness, injury or another emergency reason, they also sit out.Speaking after their defeat, Team US captain Keegan Bradley said ‘the rule has to change’.“I think it’s obvious to everybody in the sports world, in this room,” he added. “Nothing against Viktor. But that rule needs to change by the next Ryder Cup.”Bradley has called for change to the rule ahead of the 2027 Ryder CupGettyBut Team Europe captain Luke Donald said: “We have contracts for a reason, a Captain’s Agreement for a reason, for situations that occur.“The rule is the rule, and it’s been in place for a long time.”