It’s been over four years since Richard ‘Blandy’ Bland tasted his only success on the ‘regular’ tournament scene and that was the emotional scenes in capturing the 2024 British Masters title.

In July, 2022 he joined LIV Golf and at age 49 he was the oldest player to sign with the breakaway league.

Then after sanctions were upheld by an independent arbitrator, in May 2023, the European Tour announced that Bland had resigned his membership of the tour.

In that same month and now aged 50, Bland applied for entry to the 2023 Senior Open Championship to be played in late July, for which he had fulfilled one exemption category as a former European Tour winner and being at the exact age of 50 years at the time of the championship. However, Bland was denied entry due to outstanding fines to the European Tour, related to breaching conflicting tournament regulations.

A year later in May 2024 Bland defied the golf world brilliantly capturing a first senior major at the KitchenAid Senior a Championship. In July 2024, he won his second senior major but then in a sour twist in his quest to complete the “Bland Slam” (winning all senior majors in which he was eligible for), Bland was unable to enter The Senior Open Championship at the end of July at Carnoustie. Having still not paid outstanding fines to the European Tour (DP World Tour), as was the case in 2023, Bland was again denied entry to play.

No such concern this past season in being officially exempt for both the US PGA and US Open, two of the regular majors he had contested in 2022.

Bland’s LIV status has allowed in to tee-up in a number of International Series and regular events on the Asian Tour including three last year and this week’s PIF Saudi International also a third.

He had a best of a T7th finish in last year’s International Series London and now with a round to play in Saudi, Blandy’s out to not only beat that but hopefull lift the stunning winner’s trophy.

“A lot depends on what the guys do the last six or seven holes,” he said an equal best of a third round 64 to be in forth place on 13-under and just four shots off the lead.

“There are chances out there. The conditions are perfect. There’s not much breeze. It’s warm. So I certainly expect them to get a couple more in front of me.

“Obviously I’m going to have to be aggressive, of course, because that’s how those guys are going to play. It’s going to need something similar to today, but the nice thing is that everything’s there that gives me the opportunity to do it.

“I’m looking forward to it. It’s the last round of the year. Hopefully make it exciting”.

Up front it is young American Caleb Surratt still the obvious player to beat having bounced back from two bogeys in his first four holes to post a 68 and be tied with Dean Burmester at 17-under after the South African birdied three of closing four holes in an equal lowest round of 64.

Exciting Spaniard Josele Ballester had been in the lead for a period but spoilt his day with the only bogey in his round at the last in a 66 to be very much a player to watch at just one behind as the super-talented
seeks a maiden pro career title.

Ballester had joined LIV Golf last year after a stunning amateur career capturing the 2020 Spanish Amateur, 2023 European Amateur and 2024 U.S. Amateur crowns.