Richard Bland Wins 1st Golf Tour at 48, Breaks Down Talking to Mom
- A professional golfer from the United Kingdom, Richard Bland, has made headlines this past weekend after winning a major title for the first time at the age of 48 and after 478 tournaments
- The experienced golfer, Bland emerged victorious in the European Tour and was so emotional he even broke down when calling his mother
- Speaking after the win, Bland failed to explain his major victory at this stage of his 25-year golfing career, saying he didn’t have the words but he "made it"
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Richard Bland is a professional golfer from the United Kingdom and made headlines this past weekend with a historic win. Bland secured his maiden win on the European Tour this past Saturday, thus becoming the oldest player to do so on his debut.
The victory for Bland was the biggest in the European Tour as it became the most historic one in the tour’s history.
According to the Insider, Bland came through on the field on the final day of the British Masters at The Belfry, scoring a six-under-par 66 to finish on 13-under for the tournament and forcing a playoff with 24-year-old Italian Guido Migliozzi.
Source: Twitter
Playing the 18th as the first playoff hole, Bland carded a par while Migliozzi three-putted for a bogey, handing Bland victory in the 478th tournament of his professional career, which began almost 25 years ago in 1996.
Speaking after the win, Bland has labelled the win as a massive one and also broke down when speaking to his mother. He said:
"I can't (explain how I feel). I've done it. I've done it. My game had been trending in the right way and I'd worked really hard. I drove the ball so well this week. I've gone back to my old driver.
"A big incentive for me this year was to get to 500 events and this will allow me to do that, which I'll be hugely proud of.”
Having launched his professional golf career in the 1990s, Bland had lost his card on the European Tour as he failed a number of times to meet the performance criteria to play.
Interviewed by Sky Sports’ Tim Barter, Bland said his mom would be in tears and indeed, they both broke down. His mom said she was not okay at all.
"I've been waiting for this for so long."
And Bland responded:
"You and me both.”
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It is reported that his win at The Belfry means he cannot lose his status in the European Tour until 2023 despite how he performs in the coming months.
On the other hand, the website has it that only one player in the European Tour history has taken longer to secure glory, with Englishman Malcolm McKenzie earning his first victory in his 509th tournament in 2002.
On the other hand, The Times has it that Bland has been a pro for 25 years. He was fighting back the tears as he gave an interview to Tim Barter on Sky Sports even before the sudden death play-off with Guido Migliozzi at the British Masters on Saturday.
Barter happens to be Bland’s coach and has been with him all the way. When he made a brave sudden death par, thanks to a crisp.
In other sports stories, Briefly News reported that Bonginkosi, the father of a seven-year-old golfer, Simthandile Tshabalala, had appealed to Fikile Mbalula on social media, hoping the politician would be able to help him organise visas so that he and his son could attend a prestigious tournament abroad.
Africans rallied behind the boy and Simthandile and his father were granted visas. Simthandile is ranked in the Top 15 globally and represented South Africa in the World Golf Championship that took place in Malaysia last year.
Bonginkosi shared that Simthandile was given the nickname ‘SimTiger’ by the US kids at the tournament.
Back in March, Briefly News also reported that Golf star Tiger Woods had announced that he is back home and recovering from a terrible car accident he suffered a month ago.
The 82-time PGA Tour champion was hospitalised after he sustained a fractured right leg and an ankle injury. News of his car crash had left the sporting world in shock.
Woods took to his official Twitter page to announce his recovery and confirmed he is getting stronger every day. Woods said on Twitter:
“Happy to report that I am back home continuing my recovery. I will be recovering at home and working on getting stronger every day.”
In the wake of the legend's accident, the 45-year-old golf icon not only received messages of support from the sports fraternity but from former United States presidents such as Donald Trump and Barack Obama, among others.
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Source: Briefly News
