Viktor Hovland couldn't turn his head Sunday morning at Bethpage. A bulging disc — what Dr. Andrew Murray called "a flare-up of a previous injury" — had rendered the Norwegian immobile. But this wasn't just bad luck.

The two biggest Sunday comebacks were the 1999 and the 2012 Ryder Cups, where the U.S. rallied from four points down in '99 and the Euros from four down in '12. In 1999, the U.S. won 14 ½ to 13 ½ at the Country Club to shock the Europeans.

The envelope rule was first added in 1979 when the Ryder Cup expanded to using players from all of Europe. It was first used in 1991 after Steve Pate was sore to play that Sunday after being involved in a car accident earlier in the week. David Gilford was chosen to sit out for Europe.

Thriving across 11 one-on-one matches, the U.S. unintentionally proved the point its team has been forced to relearn every two years: The Ryder Cup is about the collective, not the individual.

United States' Justin Thomas celebrates after a putt on the 18th hole during their singles match on the Bethpage Black golf course at the Ryder Cup golf tournament, Sunday, Sept. 28, 2025, in Farmingdale, N.Y. Credit: AP/Lindsey Wasson