Richard Bland managed to achieve victory at the U.S. Senior Open after an interesting battle with Hiroyuki Fujita. It’s noteworthy that Bland made his debut in this competition, and after the tournament ended, he seemed surprised by the success he achieved. In a media interview, he highlighted that debuting in two majors is a huge accomplishment, and the fact that he managed to win two of them is even greater. Bland’s initial intentions were to play in senior tournaments, but now, having achieved this level of success, his ambitions will surely increase.
“Your first two senior tournaments to be majors, and to come out on top is, I was just hoping going into the PGA that I was good enough to contend. I hadn’t played against these guys,” he said, as quoted by Golfweek.
The Englishman never doubted his abilities but believed he could compete with others based on his qualities. He did not expect to reach the final round, let alone win. The 51-year-old was left speechless after a brilliant tournament, emphasizing his victory at another major, the KitchenAid Senior PGA Championship.
“I knew, if I played the way I know I can play, it should be good enough to be able to compete. But, yeah, to be stood here with two majors is, yeah, I’m at a loss for words at the moment now.“
Richard Bland© Brennan Asplen/Getty Images Sport
Bland will have a place at the 2025 US Open following this victory. The Englishman decided to joke, suggesting that individuals should be easy on elders. Although the ambitions of European golfers differ from what some expect, Bland was surprised by the US Open. As a child and golfer, he dreamed of winning The Open, but now his ambitions are very different and have grown. Bland has shown fans, and himself, that he is a golfer who can truly compete with the greatest golfers on the biggest stage. Such success from him was expected by few
“I know what you guys like to do with U.S. Opens, so just go easy on us olders (laughter). Maybe you can stick a tee up maybe for me,” he said. “It was my first ever tournament in America in at Bethpage in ’09, and I was just blown away by it. We’re always kind of like, oh, being from Europe or from the UK, our major is The Open, but I was blown away by the U.S. Open.
I’ll be looking at flights to Oakmont for next year very, very soon.”
Golf fans had completely different expectations when it came to the last edition of the Senior US Open, with some other golfers as favorites. Richard showed that his victory from last month was no coincidence and that he is a golfer who really has a range of qualities. Those who doubted him after such a performance will surely no longer have doubts. The 51-year-old represents fear and trepidation for the opponents, and the question is whether he can continue in the same rhythm for the rest of the season.
Richard Bland and KitchenAid Senior PGA Championship
Bland showed dedication and a desire for success at the KitchenAid Senior PGA Championship, where he became frustrated with his putting after the first round and decided to practice with a different putter. His victory at that tournament secured him $630,000. In a media interview, he emphasized that he wasn’t satisfied with his putting and made the decision to make changes. He tried to train, understand where he was going wrong, and correct his mistakes. This allowed him to achieve victory.
“I was so frustrated when I finished yesterday that I actually went out and practiced with the other putter I brought,” Bland said. “I was literally going to use it. That was it. But I got here a little early this morning and did probably an hour on the putting green with my ‘gamer’ just to kick it up the backside, so to speak.”
Despite being 51 years old, his desire to improve day by day is greater than anything else. He is currently part of LIV Golf, which has not generated entirely positive reactions, but Bland is content with this phase of his career where things seem to be going perfectly for him. Richard has not been a golfer who particularly excelled in his career, with his highest ranking being 48th in 2022. It seems that the Englishman is only now experiencing the best days of his career and is ready to continue in the same rhythm throughout the rest of the season. His results in majors have not been impressive, with his best finish being T22 at The Open Championship.
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