Richard Bland (golfer)
Encyclopedia
Richard Bland is an English
professional golf
er.
Bland was born in Burton upon Trent
, Staffordshire
. He turned professional in 1996 and reached the final stage of the European Tour's qualifying school
in 1997 to gain his card on Europe's second tier Challenge Tour
for 1998. In 2001 he won for the first time, at the season ending Challenge Tour Grand Final
. The win catapulted him up the rankings and onto the European Tour for 2002.
Bland had moderate success during his rookie season on the European Tour, ending the year in 73rd place on the Order of Merit with a best tournament finish of tied for 2nd place behind Søren Hansen
at the Murphy's Irish Open after a playoff. He has failed to win enough money to maintain his card on the European Tour several times but has quickly regained his playing status each time, via the Challenge Tour rankings in 2004 and 2008 and via qualifying school in 2007.
DNP = Did not play
CUT = missed the half-way cut
"T" = tied
Green background for wins. Yellow background for top-10.
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
professional golf
Golf
Golf is a precision club and ball sport, in which competing players use many types of clubs to hit balls into a series of holes on a golf course using the fewest number of strokes....
er.
Bland was born in Burton upon Trent
Burton upon Trent
Burton upon Trent, also known as Burton-on-Trent or simply Burton, is a town straddling the River Trent in the east of Staffordshire, England. Its associated adjective is "Burtonian"....
, Staffordshire
Staffordshire
Staffordshire is a landlocked county in the West Midlands region of England. For Eurostat purposes, the county is a NUTS 3 region and is one of four counties or unitary districts that comprise the "Shropshire and Staffordshire" NUTS 2 region. Part of the National Forest lies within its borders...
. He turned professional in 1996 and reached the final stage of the European Tour's qualifying school
Qualifying school
In professional golf the term qualifying school is used for the annual qualifying tournaments for leading golf tours such as the U.S. based PGA and LPGA Tours and the European Tour. A fixed number of players in the event win membership of the tour for the following season, otherwise known as a...
in 1997 to gain his card on Europe's second tier Challenge Tour
Challenge Tour
The Challenge Tour is the second tier men's professional golf tour in Europe. It is operated by the PGA European Tour and as with on the main European Tour and the European Seniors Tour, some of the events are played outside of Europe...
for 1998. In 2001 he won for the first time, at the season ending Challenge Tour Grand Final
Challenge Tour Grand Final
The Challenge Tour Grand Final is the season ending tour championship on the Challenge Tour. It has been played annually since 1995 at various courses. Usually it takes place in Southern Europe, but in 1999 and 2000 it was played in Cuba. The tournament has had several sponsored names. The field...
. The win catapulted him up the rankings and onto the European Tour for 2002.
Bland had moderate success during his rookie season on the European Tour, ending the year in 73rd place on the Order of Merit with a best tournament finish of tied for 2nd place behind Søren Hansen
Søren Hansen
Søren Hansen is a Danish professional golfer.Hansen was born in Copenhagen, Denmark. He won the 1997 Danish Amateur Stroke Play Championship and turned professional later that year....
at the Murphy's Irish Open after a playoff. He has failed to win enough money to maintain his card on the European Tour several times but has quickly regained his playing status each time, via the Challenge Tour rankings in 2004 and 2008 and via qualifying school in 2007.
Challenge Tour wins (1)
| No. | Date | Tournament | Winning Score | Margin of Victory |
Runner-up |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 4 Nov 2001 2001 Challenge Tour The 2001 Challenge Tour was a series of golf tournaments known as the Challenge Tour, the official development tour run by the PGA European Tour... |
Challenge Tour Grand Final Challenge Tour Grand Final The Challenge Tour Grand Final is the season ending tour championship on the Challenge Tour. It has been played annually since 1995 at various courses. Usually it takes place in Southern Europe, but in 1999 and 2000 it was played in Cuba. The tournament has had several sponsored names. The field... |
5 strokes |  Philip GoldingPhilip Golding Philip Keith Golding is an English professional golfer.Golding was born in Luton, Bedfordshire. He was a promising cricketer who played for Middlesex Colts before he took up golf at the age of 17... |
Results in major championships
| Tournament | 1998 | 1999 |
|---|---|---|
| Masters Tournament | DNP | DNP |
| U.S. Open U.S. Open (golf) The United States Open Championship, commonly known as the U.S. Open, is the annual open golf tournament of the United States. It is the second of the four major championships in golf, and is on the official schedule of both the PGA Tour and the European Tour... |
DNP | DNP |
| The Open Championship The Open Championship The Open Championship, or simply The Open , is the oldest of the four major championships in professional golf. It is the only "major" held outside the USA and is administered by The R&A, which is the governing body of golf outside the USA and Mexico... |
CUT | DNP |
| PGA Championship PGA Championship The PGA Championship is an annual golf tournament conducted by the PGA of America as part of the PGA Tour. It is one of the four major championships in men's professional golf, and is the golf season's final major, usually played in mid-August, customarily four weeks after The Open Championship... |
DNP | DNP |
| Tournament | 2000 | 2001 | 2002 | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Masters Tournament | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP |
| U.S. Open U.S. Open (golf) The United States Open Championship, commonly known as the U.S. Open, is the annual open golf tournament of the United States. It is the second of the four major championships in golf, and is on the official schedule of both the PGA Tour and the European Tour... |
DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | CUT |
| The Open Championship The Open Championship The Open Championship, or simply The Open , is the oldest of the four major championships in professional golf. It is the only "major" held outside the USA and is administered by The R&A, which is the governing body of golf outside the USA and Mexico... |
DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP |
| PGA Championship PGA Championship The PGA Championship is an annual golf tournament conducted by the PGA of America as part of the PGA Tour. It is one of the four major championships in men's professional golf, and is the golf season's final major, usually played in mid-August, customarily four weeks after The Open Championship... |
DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP |
DNP = Did not play
CUT = missed the half-way cut
"T" = tied
Green background for wins. Yellow background for top-10.