FARMINGDALE, N.Y. – Viktor Hovland was a late scratch from the Saturday afternoon Four-ball session at the Ryder Cup due to a neck injury. Hovland was replaced by Tyrrell Hatton.

Hovland was originally scheduled to partner with Matt Fitzpatrick in the final Four-ball match of the day against Americans Sam Burns and Patrick Cantlay, but was replaced minutes before they were scheduled to tee off.

The timeline of when Hovland sustained the injury is murky, considering Luke Donald submitted Hovland’s name for the afternoon session less than two hours before he ultimately needed to be replaced. Hovland won his morning Foursomes match 1-up alongside Robert MacIntyre. He is 1-1-0 for the week.

"I’ve had some issues with a neck injury on and off for the last two months," Hovland said Saturday. "I took some painkillers on the seventh hole and then got some treatment from Matt Roberts, the physio, on the 10th tee box. It stayed the same for the remainder of the match after that. But I came in and rested up and got some more treatment and when I went back out onto the range, I tried hitting some shots trying to build up to the driver. I hit three or four hard ones and it just got worse.

"I didn’t want to risk it for the match in case it got worse and I couldn’t continue, especially in Four-ball when you are hitting every shot."

Hovland added that he had to withdraw from the Travelers Championship earlier in the year due to the same issue.

"I’m going to get some treatment this afternoon and tonight and hopefully I will be ok for the singles tomorrow," Hovland said.

If he can’t play, it would trigger a little-known and little-utilized Ryder Cup rule that would result in a tie between Hovland and one pre-determined American player.

In 1979, the Ryder Cup introduced the “Envelope Rule,” in which each captain is tasked with placing the name of one player in a sealed envelope to be opened only if a player on the opposing team is unable to play Singles due to injury. In that event, the match between the injured player and the player in the envelope would be halved, and each team would receive a half point. The rule has only been needed twice, most recently in 1993. European stalwart Sam Torrance was unable to play that Sunday, suffering from an infected toe. American Lanny Wadkins was the name in the envelope and sat out.