"Not Hugely Welcome," Richard Bland Makes Honest PGA Tour Champions Admission Amid LIV Uncertainty
July 12, 2025, Cadiz, Cadiz, SPAIN: Richard Bland of Cleeks team looks on during day two of the LIV Golf Andalucia at Golf Club Royal of Valderrama on July 12, 2025 in Cadiz, Spain. Cadiz SPAIN - ZUMAa181 20250712_zaa_a181_214 Copyright: xJoaquinxCorcherox
July 12, 2025, Cadiz, Cadiz, SPAIN: Richard Bland of Cleeks team looks on during day two of the LIV Golf Andalucia at Golf Club Royal of Valderrama on July 12, 2025 in Cadiz, Spain. Cadiz SPAIN - ZUMAa181 20250712_zaa_a181_214 Copyright: xJoaquinxCorcherox
Richard Bland knows where he stands right now, and he is okay with it. The 53-year-old golfer from England spoke on Friday at LIV Golf Virginia while questions about the league's future continued. This came after the Public Investment Fund decided to stop its financial support after the 2026 season.
Bland made it clear he will not join other LIV players in attempting a return to the PGA Tour.
"From what I've been told, I'm not hugely welcome there," Bland said of the PGA Tour Champions.
Congested Round 3: Richard Bland finished 3 Under for the round Third Round of the 85th Senior PGA, Golf Herren Championship at Congressional Country Clubs Blue Course in Bethesda, Maryland. Bethesda Congressional Country Club MD USA Copyright: xPhilxFabriziox
Congested Round 3: Richard Bland finished 3 Under for the round Third Round of the 85th Senior PGA, Golf Herren Championship at Congressional Country Clubs Blue Course in Bethesda, Maryland. Bethesda Congressional Country Club MD USA Copyright: xPhilxFabriziox
Bland won both the Senior PGA Championship and U.S. Senior Open in 2024 but said he became the only senior major champion not to receive the usual one-year Champions Tour exemption.
"I don't have an issue with that," he said. "I think the Champions Tour has made it pretty much impossible for anybody to come and play. I'm not going to go chasing it. I'll be 54 years old, but I'm going to be banned for a year anyway."
The PGA of America runs the Senior PGA Championship, while the USGA oversees the U.S. Senior Open. The PGA Tour operates the PGA Tour Champions separately.
Pat Perez and Henrik Stenson are serving suspensions to join the Champions Tour, but Bland rejected that route and any return to DP World Tour Q-School. Bland joined LIV in 2022, a year after becoming the oldest player to claim a first DP World Tour title at the British Masters.
"I've had one helluva ride out here and the best decision I ever made," he said.
The History Behind Richard Bland's Strained Relationship With the PGA Tour
Bland has been one of LIV's most vocal critics of the PGA Tour's partnership with the DP World Tour.
He has also criticized the policy that awards PGA Tour cards to the top 10 DP World Tour players each season, saying it drains Europe’s top talent.
That rift grew further in 2024 when Bland was left out of the co-sanctioned Senior Open after refusing to pay fines connected to his LIV move, saying he never intended to return to the DP World Tour. Missing the event also ended his chance of chasing a third senior major that season.
Bland has also hinted that next year may be his final season as a full-time player, although he hopes to stay involved with the Cleeks in some capacity regardless of LIV’s future.
"I hope that whatever we become in the future, I can stay with the Cleeks in some form," he said. "I would love to stay on board with the Cleeks in some way."
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Written by
Sneha Abraham
Edited by
Pulkit Prabhav