No senior golfer has had a better season than Richard Bland. The 51-year-old made his Senior major debut this year and surprised the masses by winning two of them: the Senior PGA Championship and the U.S. Senior Open. But one thing was still missing from his illustrious 2024 run—a victory at the LIV Golf events!
Bland is yet to celebrate his maiden victory at the breakaway circuit, but that feat might be closer than ever. The two-time Senior major winner shot two rounds of 64 at the Old White course in Greenbrier and entered a four-way tie for second on the leaderboard. This led his brother, Heath Bland, to congratulate him on X for consecutive 64s and wish him the best for the final round. Bland was only two strokes behind field leader Jon Rahm and may be fortunate enough to either emerge victorious or finish in the top positions.
Either outcome will promise the 51-year-old a contract by Greg Norman for the 2025 season, allowing him to play on LIV Golf for four consecutive seasons, as Flushing It Golf reported on X. And with a top performance at LIV Golf Greenbrier, Bland will surpass the drop zone and avoid relegation in the disruptive league. It will also overshadow Phil Mickelson, Bubba Watson, and Ian Poulter. How, you ask?
51 year old, Richard Bland, has continued his incredible season, shooting back to back 64’s to be T2 at LIV Golf Greenbrier. If he were to stay toward the top of the leaderboard, he would effectively wrap up a contract for 2025, making it 4 consecutive seasons. Remarkable. https://t.co/WWraBHhn36
— Flushing It (@flushingitgolf) August 17, 2024
Polls of the day
Who do you think is the most influential figure in LIV Golf’s rise?
Do you think Cameron Smith’s “Ripper GC’s secret trump card” gives them an unfair advantage?
Who do you think will dominate the 2024 ISPS Handa Women’s Scottish Open?
Do you think Cameron Smith’s patience will pay off in the long run?
All these veteran golfers are either in the drop zone or at risk of being in it. Although captains have an exemption from relegation, as Watson once said, they can bench themselves due to declining form and give a different pro a chance. What Mickelson and Co. could not do, Bland did at the age of 51, giving the relatively younger field tough competition.
But before his contention in Greenbrier, Bland was unsure of how long he would be on LIV Golf. Interestingly, a lost contract would have guaranteed Bland’s exit from the game of golf, as the 51-year-old confessed a month ago. What would’ve Bland done then?
Richard Bland talks about retirement after LIV Golf
It looks like Richard Bland’s stars aligned in the 2024 season. Despite that, he was unsure of his LIV Golf future. He had won the Senior PGA Championship in Harbor Shores, Michigan, but the 51-year-old was uncertain how long his stint at LIV Golf would last. He told The Times, “I’ve got maybe another 18 months left.” Since he had never won an event, it was expected that Bland’s LIV contract might not be renewed.
If that had been the case, the Englishman revealed he would bid goodbye to the greens and enjoy his life. Bland said, “Whenever I lose my spot on LIV, I think that will be me done, regardless of how I’m playing.” Although he reassured his fans that he would never stop playing golf, he planned to start traveling around the world, going on golf trips with friends and family.
But that plan will have to wait a while. Although the breakaway circuit has not disclosed the contract duration of any player, from the looks of it, it seems that Bland did not have a longer contract than other players like Mickelson or Watson. However, his remarkable performance will surely allow the 51-year-old to play more and enjoy the success he couldn’t when he was younger.
