Edoardo Molinari, a member of the European Ryder Cup backroom staff, has weighed in on the ‘envelope rule’ following recent criticism from Keegan Bradley.
The envelope rule is one of the more unusual regulations in golf, and it’s rarely been put into practice over the years. It’s designed to cover situations where a player can’t compete due to injury or illness, but it doesn’t always work as intended.
Before this year’s event, it had only been used twice in Ryder Cup history. The most recent example came when Viktor Hovland was forced out of his singles match against Sam Burns due to a neck issue.
After that incident, Edoardo Molinari was asked whether he felt the rule should be changed. He told Bunkered: “No, I actually don’t think so.”
“If there’s no penalty for a guy not being able to play,” he continued, “what stops people from not playing?”
Bradley had called for changes after Hovland withdrew from his match against Sam Burns due to injury. The situation led to discussions about how injuries should be handled during the competition.
Edoardo Molinari weighs in on envelope rule debate after Keegan Bradley’s Ryder Cup remarks
Keegan Bradley has been very vocal in his criticism of the envelope rule, especially after Viktor Hovland’s injury led to a walkover point for Europe.
He argued that the system isn’t fit for purpose and that the competition needs a better way to handle injuries. The American captain said:
“I don’t know what the solution is. I think it would be really simple for both teams to bring an alternate player.”
Bradley added: “I understand that could be disruptive. It would have been disruptive for us this year just because of all the things we were doing to bring our team together and all this stuff. But I don’t think it’s fair that we lose a full point.”
While it is difficult to say how much impact one point would have had on such a lopsided contest, there may well be some merit in what he is saying.
Knost and Molinari split on how to handle the Ryder Cup envelope rule
Knost took a very different stance from Molinari when speaking on Trey Wingo’s podcast, making his position clear.
He explained: “I do. I know it’s been used three times since it came about. 1991 was obviously a massive moment when Steve Pate had to pull out because of injury.”
“In ’93, Sam Torrance for the Europeans had to pull out. I just don’t like the rule. Guys like Harris English, this should be his last Ryder Cup and he doesn’t even get a chance to go out there in Sunday singles, and that s—-.”
“Also, if you have a guy that’s struggling, I’m not saying Viktor did this, he’s not that kind of guy. But if you do have a guy that’s struggling you can say, ‘hey man we can say your back hurts or something and you get a half point.’
“I’m all for carrying 13 guys and the only time you can put that sub in is on Sunday singles, just in case that happens. Either that or the team that has a player who withdraws, you lose the point.”
READ MORE: Colt Knost says PGA Tour should end Presidents Cup to fix Team USA’s Ryder Cup struggles
The idea of having 13 players per side is probably one worth considering for future editions.
The reserve would likely lack sharpness by the time Sunday rolled around due to limited involvement during the week – but having an extra player available could be seen as a practical way to address injuries without creating further controversy over how points are awarded.
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