Richard Bland Secures Major Scalp At KitchenAid Senior PGA Championship
The Englishman carded a stunning eight-under-par final round to pick up a Major victory on his senior Tour debut in Michigan
Having secured a spot in the Senior PGA Championship via a one-time exemption granted to players who have turned 50 and who have won a DP World Tour event in the last five years, Richard Bland took full advantage as he claimed a stunning victory.
The LIV Golfer had led the tournament at the halfway stage following rounds of 64 and 66, but a three-over-par third round of 74 dropped Bland down the leaderboard and one shot back of overnight leaders Ernie Els and Greg Chalmers going into Sunday.
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Looking for a hot start, Bland found back-to-back birdies at the first and second, with a bogey at the third putting him one-under for the day. A par then followed at the fourth, as Bland seemed to ignite midway through the front nine!
Making back-to-back birdies at the fifth and sixth, he repeated the feat at the eighth and ninth holes to turn in a five-under 31. Despite his excellent play, though, the LIV golfer still wasn't at the top, with Bland forced to push on as he battled it out with Australian, Chalmers.
Trailing by one, he made further gains at the 10th and 12th, before a bogey at the 13th still meant he was one back! However, that was all about to change at the par 5 15th, as Bland put his approach to eight-feet and rolled it in for an eagle that jumped him from one back to one ahead.
Momentum was firmly on the 51-year-old's side but, with three holes remaining, the tournament was hit by yet another delay due to dangerous weather, as an hour intervention meant players returned to the course at 3.40pm local time.
Although the break was lengthy, Bland returned to safely par the final three holes and, with Chalmers finishing with three bogeys, the LIV Golfer claimed a three shot victory over Richard Green, who had set a 14-under-par clubhouse target much earlier.
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Carding an eight-under-par final round 63, the win is his first since the historic 2021 British Masters victory, with Bland heading into LIV Golf Houston in a fortnight's time with some excellent momentum!
Matt joined Golf Monthly in February 2021 covering weekend news, before also transitioning to equipment and testing. After freelancing for Golf Monthly and The PGA for 18 months, he was offered a full-time position at the company in October 2022 and continues to cover weekend news and social media, as well as help look after Golf Monthly’s many buyers’ guides and equipment reviews.
Taking up the game when he was just seven years of age, Matt made it into his county squad just a year later and continues to play the game at a high standard, with a handicap of around 2-4. To date, his best round came in 2016, where he shot a six-under-par 66 having been seven-under through nine holes. He currently plays at Witney Lakes in Oxfordshire and his favourite player is Rory McIlroy, despite nearly being struck by his second shot at the 17th during the 2015 BMW PGA Championship.
Matt’s current What’s In The Bag?
Driver: Honma TW747, 8.75°
Fairway Wood: TaylorMade Rocketballz Stage 2, 15°, 19°
Hybrid: Adams Super Hybrid, 22°
Irons: Mizuno MP54, 5-PW
Wedges: Cleveland 588 RTX 2.0 Tour Satin, 50°, 56°, 60°
Putter: Cleveland TFI 2135 Satin Cero
Ball: Titleist Pro V1x
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