Just over a month ago, Richard Bland was still hunting for his first European Tour win in 25 years as a touring pro.
Now, the 48-year-old Englishman has not only ended that drought with his playoff win in the Betfred British Masters in mid-May, but finds himself with a chance of claiming his first Major title as he jointly leads the US Open at the halfway stage. After rounds of 70 and 67 at Torrey Pines, Bland sits on top of the leaderboard with American Russell Henley on five-under-par.
“I was coming off a couple of good results, a win and a third in Europe. I was feeling pretty good about my game. I’ve been driving the ball well for five, six weeks now, which is the cornerstone if you’re going to put up a fight for a US Open,” said Bland, whose British Masters win came in his 478th European Tour start.
Having endured a roller-coaster career which saw him having to regain his European Tour card though qualifying school on a number of occasions, Bland noted that he never gave up on himself.
“I’ve always been someone that can get my head down and work hard, and I always knew I had the game to compete on the European Tour at the highest level. I’ve always known that.
“But as in any golf career, you’re going to have peaks and troughs. I just think every kind of sportsman, sportswoman, they have that never-die or that never-quit attitude, no matter whether it’s golf or it’s tennis or boxing. The old saying is, you get knocked down seven times, you get up eight. I’ve always had that kind of attitude that you just keep going. You never know in this game, you just keep going,” stressed Bland.
This is only Bland’s fourth Major start, with his best performance being T22 in the 2017 Open Championship at Birkdale. He missed the cut in the 1998 Open and 2009 US Open.
Whatever happens the rest of this week, Bland is thankful that he gets to play the game he loves for a living. He’s already set two records as the oldest first-time winner on the European Tour and now the oldest 36-hole leader at the US Open.
“I’m fortunate with what I do. I think we all are, whether you’re playing on the European Tour, you’re playing on the PGA Tour, whatever.
“I’ve always thought I’m very fortunate that I can travel the world and play some of the best courses in the world and some of the biggest tournaments in the world.”
