Richard Bland

Bland’s dream of becoming a DP World Tour winner finally came true at the age of 48 and at the 478th attempt in the 2021 BetFred British Masters at The Belfry.

Beating Guido Migliozzi in a play-off made him the oldest first-time champion in Tour history - only Malcom Mackenzie had made more starts before winning – and was followed by him becoming the oldest player to lead the U.S. Open at the halfway stage and seven more top 10 finishes in Europe as he finished a career-high 11^th on the “Race to Dubai” to secure his spot at St Andrews – and made it into the world’s top 75.

Yet the search for a title almost ended back in 2002. Winner of the Challenge Tour Grand Final the previous season, he fired closing rounds of 63 and 67 to be part of a four-way tie for the Murphy’s Irish Open. Dane Soren Hansen won that and it would be eight years before Bland registered his next top-three finish and a further six before he had another.

Then, in 2017, he finished a stroke behind Andres Romero at the BMW International Open, a month later tied for 22nd in what was only his second Open Championship start.