Richard Bland believes it's no coincidence that he's playing some of the best golf of his career at age 51, crediting the high standard of the LIV Golf League for pushing his game to the next level.
Bland won his first and only DP World Tour event at the British Masters in May 2021, which led to his move to LIV a year later. Although individual success on the Saudi circuit has eluded him, Bland has added two senior major championship victories to his resume this year: the Senior PGA Championship in May and the US Senior Open in June.
Speaking before this week’s LIV UK event at JCB Golf & Country Club, Bland said, “I’ve got more of an edge, competitively, playing here than I would have playing on the DP World Tour. That’s not to put the DP World Tour down or bad-mouth it in any way. My personal opinion is just that the standard here is higher. A lot higher.”
This week, Bland won't have the chance to complete a senior major hat-trick, as the Senior Open is taking place at Carnoustie while he is in the Midlands for the 11th event of the LIV season. Both Bland and Lee Westwood are banned from the Senior Open due to ongoing divisions in the men’s game.
“That’s a DP World Tour decision,” Bland said. “I don’t think that’s an R&A decision. Myself and Lee, we didn’t have our fines paid and I didn’t want my fines paid. I had no plan to go back [to the DP World Tour] so I didn’t see the point. At the end of the day, it’s a loss to the tournament and the fans that they don’t get to see Lee and myself."
Bland dismissed rumors that LIV didn't allow him a release to play in the Senior Open. “The truth is I didn’t even ask for a release. Even if it was possible, I’d still be here. This is my priority.”
Bland also downplayed the idea of ever joining the PGA Tour Champions. Despite being denied customary playing rights on the over-50s circuit reserved for winners of the Senior PGA Championship, he insists it doesn't bother him.
“This is where I want to be,” he emphasized. “I don’t want to be anywhere else. Once I’m not wanted by LIV, that’s me off into the sunset and I’ll be a very happy man. I like where I’m playing, the schedule I have. I don’t particularly want to play full-time in America. If I wasn’t playing on LIV, that might be completely different. But when the PGA Tour came out and said, ‘You’re not welcome here after the PGA’, I didn’t lose any sleep. I’m very, very happy where I’m at.”