Viktor Hovland out of Ryder Cup singles with injury. Harris English has to sit

FARMINGDALE, N.Y. (AP) — Viktor Hovland withdrew from his singles match Sunday in the Ryder Cup with a neck injury, which also meant Harris English had an early end to his week.

Hovland and English were scheduled to meet in the final match. Hovland had an MRI late Saturday that revealed a disc bulge in his neck. Under the captain's agreement, that will be considered a halve.

“He's gutted,” European captain Luke Donald said.

Europe's lead went to 12-5 before anyone teed off. It needs to win two matches to retain the cup, and 14 1/2 points for the outright win.

The Ryder Cup requires each captain to put the name of one player in a sealed envelope Saturday night to be benched in case of an injury on the other team. U.S. captain Keegan Bradley went with English.

“It's tough,” Bradley said. “It's a strange rule, but we've got to go with what the rules say. He took it so well. I'm proud of him.”

This is only the fourth time the envelope has been used since it became part of the captains' agreement in 1979, most recently in 1993 when Lanny Wadkins volunteered his name when Sam Torrance had septic toe.

English, a runner-up in two majors this year, was among the six Americans who qualified for the team. He lost both his foursomes matches at Bethpage Black playing with Collin Morikawa, both times against Europe's top tandem of Rory McIlroy and Tommy Fleetwood.

Hovland delivered one of the key moments for Europe in a week filled with them, a 12-foot par putt on the 17th hole to stay 1 up and lead to a Saturday morning foursomes win over Scottie Scheffler and Russell Henley.

Donald said Hovland was in pain during the Saturday morning match, then felt worse hitting drivers on the range after. Hovland was replaced in the Saturday afternoon lineup and taken for an MRI, which showed the recurrence of the disc issue that sidelined him in June.

Europe said in a statement Hovland woke up Sunday unable to move his neck. He tried to warm up, but ultimately informed Donald he was unable to play.

“There is nothing more I would like to do than be out there representing Team Europe and trying to help them win the Ryder Cup today," Hovland said in a statement. "Not being able to do so is pretty heartbreaking. I will be backing my team as hard as I can and rooting them on.”

Mark James had a chest injury and couldn't play in 1979 and was given a halve with the American in the envelope, Gil Morgan. The envelope wasn't used again until 1991 at Kiawah Island when Steve Pate was injured in a car accident. He played one match Saturday and couldn’t play again. David Gilford also sat out.

Wadkins had been the most recent American revealed from the envelope, volunteering his name to U.S. captain Tom Watson because he had been a captain's pick and already played three times.

Wadkins, one of America's best in the Ryder Cup, wasn't thrilled how it turned out because he was scheduled to play Seve Ballesteros. When Torrance withdrew, Ballesteros instead matched up with Jim Gallagher Jr. at the bottom of the lineup.

It was unclear how much Bradley and Donald communicated. English, who turned out be in the envelope, was already in the last match. So the rest of the pairings did not change.

But the envelope is deeply personal for the captains, many of whom would not reveal even years later the name they put in the envelope.

“You don’t ever want that name to get out. You don’t ever want to destroy someone’s confidence. But you’re obligated to put a name in the envelope,” Curtis Strange, the 2002 captain, once said. "These guys become family. And it's like you’re telling one of them you don’t love them as much.”

This version corrects that Lanny Wadkins in 1993 was the last time the envelope was used.

AP Ryder Cup coverage: https://apnews.com/hub/ryder-cup

United States' Harris English watches his tee shot on the third hole at Bethpage Black golf course during the Ryder Cup golf tournament, Friday, Sept. 26, 2025, in Farmingdale, N.Y. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)

Europe's Viktor Hovland celebrates after a putt on the eighth hole at Bethpage Black golf course during the Ryder Cup golf tournament, Saturday, Sept. 27, 2025, in Farmingdale, N.Y. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)

Europe's Viktor Hovland waves after making a putt on the second hole at Bethpage Black golf course during the Ryder Cup golf tournament, Saturday, Sept. 27, 2025, in Farmingdale, N.Y. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — Police in Ohio's capital city said Wednesday that they have gathered enough evidence to link a man charged in the double homicide of his ex-wife and her husband in their Columbus home last month to the killings.

Columbus Police Chief Elaine Bryant said in an Associated Press interview that authorities now believe Michael David McKee, 39, a vascular surgeon who was living in Chicago, was the person seen walking down a dark alley near Monique and Spencer Tepe's home in video footage from the night of the murders. His vehicle has also been identified traveling near the house, and a firearm found in his Illinois residence also traced to evidence at the scene, she said.

An attorney representing McKee could not be identified through court listings.

His arrest Saturday capped off nearly two weeks of speculation surrounding the mysterious killings that attracted national attention. No obvious signs of forced entry were found at the Tepes’ home. Police also said no weapon was found there, and murder-suicide was not suspected. Further, nothing was stolen, and the couple’s two young children and their dog were left unharmed in the home.

“What we can tell you is that we have evidence linking the vehicle that he was driving to the crime scene. We also have evidence of him coming and going in that particular vehicle,” Bryant told the AP. “What I can also share with you is that there were multiple firearms taken from the property of McKee, and one of those firearms did match preliminarily from a NIBIN (ballistic) hit back to this actual homicide.”

Bryant said that the department wants the public to keep the tips coming. Investigators were able to follow up on every phone call, email and private tip shared from the community to the department and some of that information allowed them to gather enough evidence to make an arrest, she said.

That work culminated in the apprehension of McKee in Rockford, Illinois, where the hospital where he worked — OSF Saint Anthony Medical Center — has said it is cooperating with the investigation. He has been charged with premeditated aggravated murder in the shooting deaths. Monique Tepe, who divorced McKee in 2017, was 39. Her husband, a dentist whose absence from work that morning prompted the first call to police, was 37.

McKee waived his right to an extradition hearing on Monday during an appearance in the 17th Judicial Circuit Court in Winnebago County, Illinois, where he remains in jail. Bryant said officials are working out details of his return to Ohio, with no exact arrival date set. His next hearing in Winnebago County is scheduled for Jan. 23.

Columbus Mayor Andrew Ginther said Wednesday that the city doesn't prioritize high-profile cases any more than others, noting that the city's closure rate on criminal cases exceeds the national average. The city also celebrated in 2025 its lowest level of homicides and violent crime since 2007, Ginther said.

“Every case matters. Ones that receive national attention, and those that don’t,” he told the AP. “Every family deserves closure and for folks to be held accountable, and the rest of the community deserves to be safe when dangerous people are taken off the street.”

Ginther said it is vital for central Ohioans to continue to grieve with the Tepes' family, which includes two young children, and loved ones, as they cope with “such an unimaginable loss.”

“I want our community to wrap our arms around this family and these children for years to come,” he said.

This undated booking photo provided by the Winnebago County Sheriff's Office Tuesday, Jan. 13, 2026, shows Michael David McKee, who was charged in the killing of his ex-wife, Monique Tepe, and her husband Spencer Tepe at their Columbus, Ohio, home on Dec. 30, 2025. (Winnebago County Sheriff's Office via AP)

Spencer and Monique Tepe's home in Columbus, Ohio, on Tuesday, Jan. 6, 2026. (AP Photo/Patrick Aftoora-Orsagos)

This image taken from video shows Michael David McKee walking into the courtroom on Monday, Jan. 12, 2026, in Rockford, Ill. (WIFR News/Pool Photo via AP)