“Congrats Blandy”- Brooks Koepka posts heartwarming photo congratulating fellow LIV Golfer Richard Bland on second consecutive major victory
Richard Bland and Brooks Koepka (Image via Getty).
Richard Bland and Brooks Koepka (Images: All from Getty).
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Richard Bland won the 2024 US Senior Open on Monday, July 1, at Newport Country Club. It was the second consecutive Senior Major title for Bland, a feat that drew appreciation from fellow LIV Golf player Brooks Koepka.
Koepka, the five-time major champion uploaded a picture of himself embracing Richard Bland to his Instagram stories, along with the caption:
“Congrats Blandy. Back-to-Back major champ”
(Image via Instagram @bkoepka).
(Image via Instagram @bkoepka).
With his victory in the US Senior Open, Richard Bland joined Jack Nicklaus, Gary Player, Hale Irwin, Roger Chapman, and Colin Montgomerie as the only players to have won both the US Senior Open and the Senior PGA Championship during the same season.
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Richard Bland won the Senior PGA Championship four weeks ago, a tournament that also marked his Senior debut. As such, Bland has won two titles in two competitions in this category, both Senior major championships.
However, Richard Bland has not received a PGA Tour Champions card because he has been playing in LIV Golf since 2022.
Richard Bland: “I’m at a loss for words at the moment”
One of the most significant athletic achievements in Richard Bland’s career has been winning two major titles in a row over the past four weeks. He was understandably ecstatic to speak with the media following his US Senior Open victory.
“To get this one as well, to go two for two, is beyond my wildest dreams,” Bland said, via PGA Tour Champions news service. “I was just hoping going into the PGA that I was good enough to contend; I hadn’t played against these guys. But to be here with two majors – I’m at a loss for words at the moment,” he said.
Bland began his professional career in 1996; however, his first high-level victory came only in 2021, when he won the Betfred British Masters of the DP World Tour.
The Englishman played most of his career in Europe. On the main European circuit, he played 511 tournaments, with the aforementioned victory and four second places as the best results. He also achieved another 39 Top 10s in the 293 cuts that he achieved.
On the PGA Tour, he has played only 11 tournaments, with 8 cuts passed and a T9 in the 2022 World Golf Championships-Dell Technologies Match Play as his best result. That was also his only Top 10 on the PGA Tour.
Since 2022, Bland has played in the LIV Golf, as part of the Cleeks GC team captained by Martin Kaymer. In the breakaway league, he has played 29 tournaments with six Top 10s and a 3rd place at the 2023 LIV Golf Greenbrier as his best result.
Bland is currently ranked 25th in the LIV Golf individual standings with 33.05 points. His team is ranked 7th, with two Top 3s during the current season, including a win in Houston.
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Edited by Pratham K Sharma