Richard Bland has apologised to Eddie Pepperell after making a dig towards his fellow Englishman while tweeting "under the influence" of alcohol.
In a thread debating LIV Golf and the DP World Tour, Bland made a dig to Pepperell that he had only been on tour "for 15 minutes" compared to his 22 years, with Pepperell biting back that he won more tournaments in his "15 minutes" than Bland did in his 22 years.
Bland, a member of the Cleeks GC team in LIV Golf, admitted that his dig at Pepperell was after "too many" drinks when one user questioned if he was "on the sauce".
Where to start… Suppose it’s simple; in my 15 minutes I won more events than you did in 22 years. What the Tour has done (just to name a few); GolfSixesHeineken hole at HimmerlandBeat the Pro in HollandThe Tour, which you spent 22 years on did ok for you mate.April 23, 2023
"Had to be! We all say silly things when alcohol is involved," Pepperell said. "Either way, I haven’t taken it personally."
"Unfortunately I did have too many last Ed," Bland said. "I apologise for what I said.. I should know better not to tweet under the influence."
The exchange ended with the pair back on good terms, with Bland saying "lesson learned" and Pepperell wishing him a good week in Singapore at this week's stop on the 2023 LIV Golf League at Sentosa GC.
Tensions appeared to be thawing with the LIV players and their PGA and DP World Tour counterparts at The Masters, where the likes of Brooks Koepka and Rory McIlroy played a practice round.
However, the recent DP World Tour victory in the arbitration panel hearing means that LIV players will find it very difficult to continue on the DP World Tour, which now has the power to enforce fines and suspensions for players competing in LIV events due to the fact that release requests will be declined.
It means that the likes of Ian Poulter, Lee Westwood and Sergio Garcia, among many others, will most likely be frozen out of the tour and, crucially, the Ryder Cup.
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