ST. SIMONS ISLAND, Ga. – The last time Harris English played competitive golf, his event was cut short in controversy.

The Georgian was expecting to be part of a furious comeback attempt by the Americans on Sunday at the Ryder Cup, only to have the regrettable fate of sitting out Singles after European Viktor Hovland withdrew with an injury and invoked the "envelope rule."

In his first public comments on the matter during an interview with SiriusXM on Wednesday, English said he was “pretty pissed” not to be able to play.

“Like I’m gearing up, ready to go play a Sunday Singles match at the Ryder Cup. That was one of my two main goals this year was to make the Ryder Cup. To not be awarded that opportunity to play on Sunday, it really sucked,” English said.

Hovland re-aggravated a long-standing neck injury during Saturday’s Four-ball session, which caused him to pull out of the Singles session the next day. That invoked the “envelope rule,” which was agreed upon by both teams ahead of the event, which calls for the Singles match with the injured player to be halved with a pre-determined player on the opposing side, whose name is placed in an envelope. That player was English. It was the fourth time in Ryder Cup history that the rule has come into play, and the first since 1993. The rule was established in 1971. Both players received a half-point for the match, which was not played.

Hovland called the situation “pretty upsetting” in the aftermath.

“I felt really bad for Harris (English), who also didn't get to play a match, even though there was nothing wrong with him,” Hovland said. “He just didn't get to play, and he was upset about that.”

At the time of the injury, the fact that Hovland and English would not play and the match would be halved seemed destined to be a footnote in an otherwise historic blowout by Team Europe on enemy soil. Instead, the U.S. stormed back from a record seven-point deficit and nearly completed the craziest comeback in Ryder Cup history. That half-point loomed large as the competition got tighter and tighter on Sunday afternoon. Ultimately, the half-point didn’t change the outcome – Europe won by 15-13 – but it could have changed the tenor of the afternoon if an injured Hovland was either forced to play his match or forfeit the point.

“I had a great time watching those guys compete on Sunday and almost coming back to beat the Europeans was incredible,” English said Wednesday. “I was just looking at the pairings earlier that morning and was like, I can see a scenario where we literally win every single match and it almost happened. So happy to be a part of that team and watch those guys battle to the finish.”

U.S. Captain Keegan Bradley called for the rule to be changed, saying, “I think it’s obvious to everybody in the sports world, in this room.” While Team Europe Captain Luke Donald said, “The rule is the rule, and it’s been in place for a long time.”

Nevertheless, English spoke glowingly about his experience at the Ryder Cup and said he hopes to qualify for the team in two years when the Ryder Cup heads to Adare Manor in Ireland. English was effusive in his praise for Bradley and his fellow teammates.

During his pre-tournament press conference at The RSM Classic this week, English recounted an experience from playing a practice round at the Ryder Cup with his U.S. teammate Scottie Scheffler. Facing an into-the-grain lie around one of Bethpage’s greens, English asked Scheffler how he hits the shot. English said it was a shot he had always struggled with and could never find a solution for. Scheffler gave a “very simple answer” that worked immediately.

“He (Scheffler) more hits it with a square face and changes his stance a little bit, which, for me, I kind of always thought I should draw it from those lies,” English said. “He just would square face hit like a normal chip, and it comes out the same every single time. He does the same thing every time.

“I had never thought about it that way and just watching him do it, and then myself trying, like wow, that's a big difference. He's a magician around the greens. I love the way he goes about his game and I think we think similar, we're feel players.”

The story was a reminder of Scheffler’s greatness and the quiet and simple excellence that defines him. English pointed to Scheffler as one of the players he got to know much better through the Ryder Cup, along with Bryson DeChambeau.

“I haven't played with Scottie a whole lot and we played a bunch of practice rounds together,” English said. “... For me, getting to learn from the best player in the world and how nice a guy Scottie is, that he can help me with some of those shots around the green to get better at.”

Scheffler ranks third in scrambling percentage on the PGA TOUR in 2025, though English is no slouch – 22nd in the statistic.

English is making its first start since the Ryder Cup at The RSM Classic, a hometown event for the Sea Island local. And he’s getting his own dose of the Scheffler treatment as the highest-ranked player in the field (18th in the Official World Golf Ranking). Perhaps English will pull out a bit of Scheffler's short game magic, too.