The second day of the Senior PGA Championship has ended and the 36-hole leader is none other than Richard Bland. The 51-year-old shot two rounds of 64-66 to 12 under and surpassed the field, which includes Steve Stricker, Padraig Harrington, and Ernie Els.
The LIV Golfer had not anticipated that he would turn out to be one of the top contenders for the title at the Michigan greens. And what if Bland wins the Senior PGA Championship? Would he like to continue on the PGA Tour Champions?
LIV Golf is Richard Bland’s league of choice
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In the post-round press conference, Bland shared his thoughts on his future in golf and revealed that he had no plans of leaving the breakaway circuit anytime soon. He said, “It’s not something on my radar right now.” Back in 2022, the 51-year-old struck up a lucrative deal when he chose to defect to LIV Golf. Bland expressed his keenness on playing in the PIF-funded league and iterated, “I want to play LIV as long as I can.”
However, his plans to stay with the breakaway league can come to an unexpected end if his contract expires or he gets relegated from LIV, to which the LIV golfer responded, “I don’t really know what I want to do when that ends, whether I do want to come and try and play out here.”
Interestingly, the English pro never played on the PGA Tour as a member, so he was never inducted into the PGA Tour Champions. So, Bland might have a chance of playing more with players of his age group, if he goes through the qualifying school. Which he describes as the “hardest tour in the world to try to get on to”
It is very clear that Richard Bland is a LIV Golf loyalist and his loyalty to the rebel league can indeed deter him from playing at the PGA Tour Champions. But that’s not the only reason; Jay Monahan and the relationship between LIV Golf and the PGA Tour can also act as roadblocks if Bland ever wishes to join the senior circuit.
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Richard Bland says the PGA Tour may never accept him
The two warring sides of the golf community are the PGA Tour and LIV Golf. The two became arch-rivals when legendary players like Phil Mickelson, Sergio Garcia, Dustin Johnson, and more left the PGA Tour for the PIF-backed league. This definitely put a strain on the American circuit without its top stars and initially, the two were involved in a legal dispute as well. Things have started to taper off as PIF and PGA Tour started the $3 billion merger deal between them.
But there might still be hostility towards the LIV Golf defectors as PGA Tour fans still oppose their decision to jump ships. According to Richard Bland, even if he wins this weekend at Harbour Shore, he will most probably not be welcomed, given the history between LIV Golf and the PGA Tour. As the 51-year-old said, “Even if I did win here this week, and there is a lot of golf to be played before then, I don’t know if the PGA tour would allow me to play Champions.”
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With only 36 holes to go, will Richard Bland take home the title of Senior PGA Champion? It remains to be seen.
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