After roughing it out on the European Tour in search of his first win, Richard Bland is finally reaping the fruits of perseverance. A month ago, he won the British Masters to end the jinx, and now is tied for the lead at a Major, the US Open, in Torrey Pines after the second day. Hear it from the man himself:
Where did you feel the state of your game was coming into this week and did you expect this of yourself?
Richard: Yeah, I knew it was good. I was coming off a couple of good results, a win and a third in Europe. I was feeling good about my game. I’ve been driving the ball well for five, six weeks now, which is the cornerstone if you’re going to put a fight up for a U.S. Open.
When I saw this place on Monday, I kind of — yeah, it kind of set up to my eye. There’s not too many doglegs. It’s all there just straight in front of me, and that’s the kind of golf course I like. There’s nothing kind of jumping out and grabbing you or anything like that.
We seem to define golfers by Majors. You’ve played in very few. Just wondered what your view of Majors was through your career? Have you sat and watched them and enjoyed them or did you kind of feel like a loss a little bit for not having been able to play in more?
Richard: Oh, of course. I’m a professional golfer, but I’m also a golf fan. I love watch The Masters, especially I’ve been fortunate enough to play there with a friend of mine. There’s nothing like the back nine of a Masters.
Hopefully if I can keep playing the way I’m playing, maybe next year I might be able to experience it, or the year after that would be unbelievable. That would be a proper dream come true.
You know, in the qualifyings that we have in Europe, I think I’ve lost in a playoff four times for this, for a U.S. Open, and I’ve lost three times in an Open qualifying. I could have maybe played closer to double figure Majors, but it’s not quite to be, and I’m not going to lose any sleep over that. I’m just enjoying this one right now.
I’m just wondering, in the aftermath of your win last month, what were the most powerful emotional things that came out of it and the byproducts of that, whether it was emotional or tangible things?
Richard: Yeah, you know, the first two or three days were a bit of a blur, as much the first 24 hours more hangover than anything. The social media side of it I wasn’t ready for, just getting messages from people all over the globe, from Australia, from here, from America, South America, China, just saying how inspired they were by it. That’s something I wasn’t expecting. I’m just a guy who’s won a golf tournament really, when you boil it down.
But as it all sunk in, I think it was just more satisfaction than anything that I kind of got what I’ve always wanted. I want more. Every golfer wants more. Hopefully I can do it again. It’s kind of nice when you look on the European Tour website now, I’ve got that “1” by my name.
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Prior to the win how would you have defined your career as a guy who’s been trying and trying to get that first win?
Richard: Yeah, I think if you don’t win on Tour, whether it be the PGA Tour or the European Tour, you’re always going to have that sort of — I’m just thinking of the right word. Yeah, that kind of — when you look back Stewart has won a Major and Phil has obviously won I think six now, so they’ve been world-class players for a long, long time. You don’t lose that overnight. It’s the old saying that class is permanent, and that is with them.
Watching you out there, it seemed like you were very present, looking around, seeing people and maybe not pressing or anything like that. I just wonder what was it like? Were you aware of your position?
Richard: Yeah, you know, yeah, I was very aware. I’m not someone that doesn’t look at boards. I like to know where I am.
Yeah, you know, you just kind of take it — it’s nice really to play in front of the fans again. Unfortunately, we’re not quite there yet in Europe. I think we had a tournament a couple weeks ago that we had some, I think in Germany.
In Europe we’re not quite there yet, so it’s really nice to have that interaction with the crowd again. I think we’ve all missed that. Yeah, and I think it just kind of gets you while you’re walking down the fairway, it kind of gets you away a little bit. I’ve always got this kind of thing that probably when I get to about 20 yards of the ball I take my glove out of my pocket, and that’s it then, like right, I’m kind of switched on again and getting back ready to figure out where the wind is, what yardage I’m going to have and from there. But yeah, more than anything it’s just been nice to play in front of the crowds.
Do you remember the first time you looked over and actually saw your name at the top?
Richard: I kind of guessed when I made birdie on 4, I kind of guessed that maybe, because I knew obviously I think 4 led after yesterday. That got me to 5, so I thought okay, yeah, maybe I might have a share of it. I didn’t know what Louis was doing. There’s not too many boards around sort of 2, 3, 4, 5, so I think the next one I saw was on the 6th tee. So yeah, I knew — then I saw I had the lead there. So yeah, I birdied 6. Obviously a little disappointed a dropped shot at 8, but it is what it is.
Tetx courtesy: USGA
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