Richard Bland Handed Slow-Play Penalty, Fined $10k At LIV Golf Chicago

Richard Bland was assessed a one-stroke penalty and hit with a $10,000 fine for slow play in round one of LIV Golf Chicago. 

LIV Golf released a statement on Friday saying Bland, along with playing partners Charl Schwartzel and Patrick Reed, were “officially warned” after their group was “out of position” following their fifth hole of the day. 

Two holes later on the 12th at Bolingbrook Golf Club, Bland’s group – “who had further lost position on the course” – was timed by a rules official. 

LIV Golf’s pace of play policy states: “A player has 40 seconds to play each stroke, with an additional 10 seconds if they are the first to play any stroke in the group.”

The tour said Bland’s second stroke on the hole exceeded the allotted time per policy, and he was “immediately notified by an official and assessed a one-stroke penalty as well as fined $10,000”.

According to the LIV Golf release, the one-stroke penalty was added to Bland’s score on the par-5 14th hole, despite the infraction happening on the 12th, turning his birdie into a par.

Bland ended up carding a one-over 71 to sit in a tie for 21st at LIV Golf’s individual finale.

It wasn’t the first time the 51-year-old Englishman has been penalized for slow play, having also received a one-stroke penalty last year at LIV Golf Valderrama after taking 84 seconds to take a shot during round two of the event.

Adrian Meronk was also handed a slow-play penalty at the Jeddah event in March for taking more than two minutes to play a shot, costing him $240,000 in earnings.

Brooks Koepka shot an eight-under 62 to lead Paul Casey by four strokes going into round two in Chicago.

Joaquin Niemann, who shot a two-under 68 in round one, leads Jon Rahm by one stroke in the season-long individual race, with the player who finishes higher on Sunday claiming the overall title and the $18 million prize.