FARMINGDALE, N.Y. — Englishman Tyrrell Hatton stepped onto the first tee instead of Norwegian star Viktor Hovland for the final fourball match of the Ryder Cup Saturday afternoon.
Minutes before the 1:13 p.m. ET tee time, multiple reports emerged saying that Hovland suffered a neck injury, which was later confirmed by the Ryder Cup.
Hovland was slated to play alongside another Englishman, Matt Fitzpatrick, against Sam Burns and Patrick Cantlay.
The 28-year-old played in the morning foursomes sessions with Robert MacIntyre of Scotland. They beat Scottie Scheffler and Russell Henley, 1 up.
TV analyst Nick Faldo pointed to Hovland’s celebratory fist pump at the par-3 17th as a possible moment when he tweaked his neck.
Hovland was the 2023 FedEx Cup champion on the PGA Tour and is playing in his third Ryder Cup. Hatton, meanwhile, is playing his first fourball session of the week after going 2-0-0 with Spaniard Jon Rahm in a pair of foursomes matches.