Richard Bland Calls On R&A To ‘Stand Up To The DP World Tour’ Over Senior Open Stance
Richard Bland says the R&A should "stand up to the DP World Tour" and allow players currently under LIV Golf bans to take part
![Richard Bland holds the US Senior Open trophy](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/N5hWcUM2eZtHdSHYKtu9pM-415-80.jpg)
Back-to-back senior Major winner Richard Bland has called for the R&A "to stand up to the DP World Tour" and allow LIV Golf players such as himself and Lee Westwood to compete in the Senior Open Championship.
Arguably the best late bloomer in golf, Bland won the Senior PGA Championship in his senior Major debut and then duly followed up with a playoff victory at the Senior US Open.
The 51-year-old is not able to go for the hat-trick at the Senior Open Championship though as he is barred from the event through the DP World Tour's continued ban for anyone who has not paid the fines imposed for playing in LIV events that take place in conflicting weeks.
Westwood has already voiced his displeasure at the ruling, and now Bland has added his voice saying that the R&A, which co-runs the event with the DP World Tour, should stand up to its partner and not help enforce this ban.
“The R&A needed to stand up to the DP World Tour and go, ‘Look, this is an open event, not a closed event,’” Bland told Golf Digest in Spain.
Bland's comments come even though he'd likely not play in the Senior Open even if he was allowed - as it is being staged the same week as the LIV Golf UK event at the JCB Golf Club.
The Englishman, who recently admitted that his move to LIV was "purely for the money" says his priorities now lay with the Saudi-backed league - even over senior Majors.
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"My priorities are there [with LIV], and even if [I could] go play, I don't know. I'd have to I'd have to think about it,” added Bland - who said that if he did play at Carnoustie he'd fancy his chances.
Richard Bland holds the Senior PGA Championship trophy
“It's a shame because Carnoustie is one of my favorite courses, in my top five ever.
“I played the Dunhill Links Championship there many times, so I would actually probably really fancy my chances.”
With the DP World Tour standing by their ruling, players face continued bans if they refuse to pay the fine being incurred - with the likes of Thomas Pieters and Patrick Reed being able to play in the recent BMW International Open after settling their debts.
Bland, though, has no intention of either paying himself or asking LIV to pay, as it originally said it would, as he has no desire to play on the DP World Tour again.
“LIV didn’t pay my fines and I didn't want them to, because I was never going to go back to DP World Tour, so I didn't see the point,” Bland said.
Paul Higham is a sports journalist with over 20 years of experience in covering most major sporting events for both Sky Sports and BBC Sport. He is currently freelance and covers the golf majors on the BBC Sport website. Highlights over the years include covering that epic Monday finish in the Ryder Cup at Celtic Manor and watching Rory McIlroy produce one of the most dominant Major wins at the 2011 US Open at Congressional. He also writes betting previews and still feels strangely proud of backing Danny Willett when he won the Masters in 2016 - Willett also praised his putting stroke during a media event before the Open at Hoylake. Favourite interviews he's conducted have been with McIlroy, Paul McGinley, Thomas Bjorn, Rickie Fowler and the enigma that is Victor Dubuisson. A big fan of watching any golf from any tour, sadly he spends more time writing about golf than playing these days with two young children, and as a big fair weather golfer claims playing in shorts is worth at least five shots. Being from Liverpool he loves the likes of Hoylake, Birkdale and the stretch of tracks along England's Golf Coast, but would say his favourite courses played are Kingsbarns and Portrush.
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