Richard Bland gave an interview to Golf Monthly, published Thursday, April 4, in which the newly crowned two-time Senior major champion talks about his experience in LIV Golf. During the interview, Bland delved into the reasons that led him to join the breakaway league.
Bland admitted that money played a central role in his decision to join LIV Golf, even though it meant a virtual break with the DP World Tour, where he had played for nearly 25 years.
This was part of what Richard Bland had to say:
“That was purely why I did it. I wasn’t trying to pull the wool over anybody’s eyes. I was honest and up front of why I joined LIV and it was purely for the money.”
“I know people have been slated, you know, ‘it’s growing the game, it’s doing this doing that, whatever,’ I purely went for one thing and one thing only, and I’m not ashamed to say that.”
Fans have reacted massively to Richard Bland’s words all over social media. Many users “appreciated” Bland’s honesty in speaking out, while others pointed out that it doesn’t make him look any better from a moral standpoint.
One X (formerly Twitter) user posted the following:
“Finally. Honesty.”
Another fan wrote:
“Sure but certainly not his morals.”
Let’s take a look at some other reactions on X:
“He chose to not support Europe and/or USA and instead went for the Saudi money. That doesn’ get him much respect, honest or not,” one fan posted.
“Respect! Props to everyone else though for wanting to ‘grow the game,'” another user wrote.
“Yes honesty a refreshing change from some of the xxxx others recite,” a fan commented.
Richard Bland has been playing in LIV Golf since the inaugural tournament in 2022, always with the Cleeks GC team, led by Martin Kaymer. To date, he has participated in 29 tournaments with six top 10s. His best result is a third-place finish at the 2023 LIV Golf Greenbrier.
A look at Richard Bland’s LIV Golf earnings
During his interview with Golf Monthly, Richard Bland assured that he did not receive any bonus for signing with LIV Golf. Therefore, his earnings have come directly out of his tournament results.
In 2022, Bland earned $3,545,833 for his individual and team competition results. In 2023, Bland played seven more events than the previous year (including the Team Championship), earning $4,679,726.
During 2024, Bland has played in all nine events that have been called. His winnings already total $2,323,863.
The above indicates that Bland has earned $10,549,422 since joining LIV Golf to date. In contrast, his 25-season career earnings on the DP World Tour were $8,654,302.07.
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Edited by Yash Singh
