Hovland teamed up with Robert MacIntyre for the Saturday morning foursomes at Bethpage and narrowly edged Scottie Scheffler and Russell Henley to earn Team Europe a point. The Norwegian hurt his neck during the round and an MRI later revealed he had a bulging disc.
As such, he sat out the Saturday afternoon and when Sunday's singles came around, the controversial 'Envelope Rule' came into play. In the event that a player is unable to compete, their match would be halved.
Such was Team Europe's commanding 12-5 lead heading into the final day, it seemed a non-issue. But as Team USA drew closer to pulling off a thrilling comeback, the gravity of the rule came into focus.
Team USA slammed the rule in the aftermath of their 15-13 loss, with captain Keegan Bradley stating flatly that the rule "needs to change before the next Ryder Cup".
Ruling aside, Hovland revealed he had sympathy for his opponent, Harris English, who didn't get to play on Sunday.
"The whole situation was pretty upsetting," the 28-year-old told the media on Tuesday at the DP World Tour India Championship.
"Just the fact that I didn't get to play, and I felt really bad for Harris, who also didn't get to play a match, even though there was nothing wrong with him.
"He just didn't get to play, and he was upset about that, and I feel very bad for not being able to compete.
"[I] took about a week and a half off after the Ryder Cup and didn't really touch a club."
Now halfway across the world in India, Hovland is preparing to tee up at Delhi GC as he returns to action at the DP World India Championship.
"I love just travelling the world and seeing different places and playing different golf courses, playing in front of different fans," he said.
"I'm a very big fan of the Indian culture. I think it's just so vast and a lot of old history. I love seeing old ruins and temples, and yeah, I think it's really, really cool. Even though I don't know enough about it, I definitely pique my interest, and just being here and seeing a little glimpse of it is really interesting."
Matt Fitzpatrick has taken a dim view of PGA of America president Don Rea's claims that the hostile Ryder Cup atmosphere in New York was no different to the reception European fans gave the US team in Rome two years ago.
PGA of America President Don Rea claimed ignorance when asked about the torrent of verbal abuse European players were subjected to at the Ryder Cup.
Luke Donald has left the door open for a third stint as Ryder Cup captain after cementing his legacy by leading Europe to a historic triumph in New York.
An emotional Shane Lowry has admitted his putt to secure Europe the Ryder Cup felt every bit as significant as winning the 2019 Open Championship.
