Richard’s the Lionheart as his day showed he is anything but Bland
Dreams come true as Englishman is the British Master – while Scots stutter at the finish
Bob Macintyre was left cursing the golfing gods at the British Masters, but it was a day when they shone brightly on English veteran Richard Bland.
Macintyre and stable-mate Calum Hill both shot one-under 71s to finish in a tie for eighth at The Belfry. But the glory belonged to Bland.
Playing in his 478th European Tour event, the 48-year-old claimed his maiden victory with a play-off success over Italian Guido Migliozzi.
In fact, only two players had made more appearances at this level without a win than Bland, including Scotland’s David Drysdale.
But beginning the day three off the lead, he surged through the field with a flawless round of golf, with five birdies in his first 12 holes taking him into the lead.
Standing on The Belfry’s famous 18th green where Sam Torrance and Paul Mcginley holed winning Ryder Cup putts, Bland rolled in a 28-foot career putt of his own across the middle tier to sign for a 66 and set the pace at 13-under.
That mark was matched by Migliozzi, a player half Bland’s age, as he bravely got up and down at the last to force the play-off.
But experience triumphed over youth when they played the 18th again. Both on in two, Migliozzi charged a birdie putt past and missed one coming back as Bland successfully negotiated coming down the slope to make sure of his four and finally join the winner’s circle.
It was an emotional moment for the Southampton-based player, who counts former England footballer Matt Le Tissier as a close friend.
And it was even more remarkable given that Bland recovered from dropping down onto the Challenge Tour in 2019, when many others would have folded.
“This will take a few days to sink in,” he said. “I’ve had a few close calls but there was obviously someone looking down on me today.
“A big incentive of mine was to get to 500 events and this will allow me to do that. I’ll be hugely proud of that as to me that’s a pretty good career.
“It took a lot of guts to go back to the Challenge Tour at 46. I was old enough to be most guys’ dad.
“But I’m pretty good at getting my head down. Of course you question yourself at times, but I never felt like quitting.
“I now hope to get to do this again. I hit the shots down the stretch when it mattered and you never know, it might be like buses.”
Bland joins an illustrious list of winners of this event, which includes all of the greats of European golf, but it was not to be for Macintyre or Hill, chasing a first Scottish success since 2000.
Macintyre leapt to the front with two birdies in his first three, aiming for his second European Tour title, but his momentum changed when a perfect tee-shot at the par-three seventh hit the flag and flew off the green.
A certain birdie turned into a par before his chances were ruined by bogeys at nine and 10. A nice birdie at the 18th made it another top-ten for the Oban golfer, but it is further sign of his progress that he came away disappointed as he now flies across for this week’s US PGA at Kiawah Island.
“At the start of the week I would have taken this, but not today and not the way I was playing,” admitted Macintyre.
“I got rocked on the par three. Although I made par, you need bits of luck to win golf tournaments and I seem to do it quite a few times when I’m contention and smash a pin.
“It is going to take the journey over to the States to reflect on it as I’m disappointed not to have put up more of a challenge in the end.”
Hill had also begun the day one behind and he was still in the mix until a double bogey six at the 13th ruled him out.
But he recovered to make two birdies in his last four and a fourth top-10 of the season shows the progress the 26-year-old from Kirkcaldy is making.
“It was a good way to finish, that was nice,” he said. “The score didn’t reflect how I played today. I played a lovely game of golf, hit it fantastic and gave myself lots of chances.
“It was just two three putts and a little misfortune at the 13th when I didn’t need it, but I gave myself every chance to win a tournament today, so that was good.”