ROCESTER, England — “I was never ready,” says Richard Bland, with about as much conviction as the pin-seeking bunker shot that won him the U.S. Senior Open earlier this month in a record-equaling run of back-to-back majors.
The determined Englishman who spent years playing in the middle, lost his European Tour card three times and played 477 events before winning the 2021 British Masters, knew deep down that a “few bad years” would not break him, despite what others said.
“Life got in the way,” Bland recalls, looking back on a period in 2017 when his form took a nosedive before a surprise revival, fuelled in part by a move to LIV, helped create a popular but unlikely feel-good story.
Coming into 2017 on the back of a high-earnings year, filled with top-10 finishes and only a handful of finishes outside the top 30, Bland felt a win was within reach. Granted, there were no standout performances, just the kind of consistent golf that serves as a building block for better things, but still, he says, “I felt like a win was coming, of course.”
Then brother Heath fell ill, first in a medically induced coma for five weeks around Christmas after contracting a virus that stopped his heart twice, and then a debilitating diagnosis of colon cancer. His devastating health problems have persisted. Just days before Bland, 51, won the Senior PGA Championship in his debut in May, his brother was diagnosed with lung cancer. Much of the journey has been arduous, and while Bland’s downturn has been inextricably linked to his brother’s suffering — “there have been times when I haven’t been there,” he says — success on the golf course is now seen as a small coping mechanism for him and his family.
Making bogeys and missing cuts used to be unimportant when he thought about Heath, the life-threatening blood clots in his body, and how his prostate, bladder and most of his intestines have since been removed. Bland’s voice breaks as he discusses other symptoms and aftermath. Heath can no longer use the bathroom because he has two colostomy bags to collect waste after surgery. The determination to beat it inspires his brother — a growing fan favorite on LIV — every day.
It’s clear that perseverance and resilience, albeit in very different circumstances, are part of the Bland DNA. This week at the JCB Country Club — not far from The Belfry, the scene of that career-defining British Masters victory — the beaming ex-European Tour runner will be hoping for a fairytale finish.
WHAT A SHOT! 😱
Richard Bland scores a crucial bunker shot on his way to victory! photo.twitter.com/G3sbdg6jXJ
—USGA (@USGA) July 1, 2024
Bland, who along with Arnold Palmer (1980-81) and Alex Cejka (2021) are the only men to win their first two senior major appearances, could have started this week at Carnoustie hoping to win his third straight major at The Senior Open, but his loyalty to LIV and his decision not to pay outstanding fines to the DP World Tour make him unplayable.
“I knew the position from last year, so I don’t think about it,” he says. “I would never go back to the DP World Tour, even if my LIV career is over, so I didn’t see the point in giving them a million dollars. I didn’t even ask LIV for a release, because my priorities are here.”
Instead, Bland is aiming for the victory that would bring the ultimate satisfaction. A victory at LIV. “Against this field — Jon Rahm, Brooks (Koepka), Cam Smith, Bryson (DeChambeau) — over 54 holes. That would be special.”
The fire is being stoked by a special visitor. Heath has postponed surgery for lung cancer for a week to be there, as anticipation builds for one of LIV’s biggest events yet. “I’m not overly excited about it,” says Bland, “but I’ve got him a buggy because he can’t walk, and it’ll be great to have him there, of course.”
A career revival has shifted some of the focus during a time of pain. There have been so many tears between the pair who push each other forward with relentless encouragement, but success this week would be best.
A long-awaited trip to Augusta National in late 2023 produced uncontrollable waters as emotions ran high between the brothers.
“I reached out to a friend in 2017 to see if we could play, but it got postponed because my brother had lost about 40 (pounds) and needed time to recover,” Bland said. “But to get there and see him make three amazing birdies was one of the best days of my life. We literally cried our eyes out. For him to make three birdies, you should have seen the look on his face.”
Memorable moments like these are not to be taken for granted, Bland emphasizes. Meaningful relationships are also more important than career success and income … “because I don’t have a whole lot of time left in the game.”
He says meeting his second wife, Kate, shortly before that much-hyped first victory was the biggest game-changer. “She’s one of the reasons I’m so much better at not taking bad golf home with me. When you find the right partner, you just want to be a better person.”
Time with his brother is also precious. Later this year, a trip to Arizona is planned. Just the boys. Golfing for fun in the sun. “Let’s see how his surgery goes, but he has a flight waiting for him. He doesn’t deserve more suffering. If he wants to drive around, that’s fine.”
Financial freedom has given Bland the security to give his brother everything he needs now as he battles cancer. He is consistent in his message that he joined LIV for the chance to play for big money, not because he got a sign-up fee like others. “LIV has taken a huge burden off my shoulders. I don’t have to worry about how I’m going to live the rest of my life, not that I’m an extravagant person.”
Bland laughs at the luxurious lives some of his peers lead and how far removed he is from private jets and other luxuries. “I mean, if there’s a good first-class deal, I might take it,” he laughs when asked about his flying arrangements, but aside from buying “a few nice watches,” he prefers to spend money on family outings.
A modest upbringing has raised him well. “Mom and dad always put food on the table, but they had to fight for everything and that instilled that in me, my brother and sister, so you know, I always have a pretty good value for what money is worth.”
Richard Bland, right, still competes at the LIV against Jon Rahm and other top stars, but has also won two senior majors. (Joaquin Corchero / Europa Press via Getty Images)
Bland recently bought a new Porsche Cayenne, but that was the first car he had in 20 years. “I used to lease a car through the DP World Tour and I can’t do that anymore! There are players who have a Lamborghini here and another in Spain, but that wouldn’t make me feel any better. I’d rather have my (satisfaction) on the golf course.”
His only guilty pleasure is… wait for it… “a new pair of socks every day. I love it.” Rolling them up in the hunt for a £4 million top prize is now the priority in Staffordshire this week, in a year in which he has won more than £10 million in LIV prize money alone.
That’s not bad for someone who was barely recognised at events a few years ago, when he was pushing for what seemed an elusive victory, and now has team members holding up placards with slogans like “Blandemonium on the Blandepodium”.
Well-placed people at The Wisley, near his Woking home where he trains between tournaments, talk of a battle-hardened, brave artist who relishes the process of learning his craft. There are 14 tour players associated with the club, but Bland often plays with a random group playing at the same time as he is there. Members find him even friendlier since his recent rise to fame. A BBQ has been organised to celebrate his success this summer and there won’t be an empty chair in the house.
Did he ever get tired of all those days as a loser? “No, because I never lost. And what else was I supposed to do? Golf was always going to be my life, it just took me a little longer to get where I wanted to be.”
Winning the Bland Slam of three majors may not be feasible, but he will return to the US Senior Open next year with pride and his head held high as champion.
“I get to host the dinner and I think I’ll go for my mother’s homemade roast lamb. She might even come and cook it with me.”
(Top photo: Brennan Asplen/Getty Images)
