Richard Bland hits out at “strategic alliance”

Richard Bland is the latest LIV golfer to hit out at changes to the PGA Tour, insisting that they will harm the DP World Tour.  

Bland, 50, took to social media to share his thoughts on news that, from next season, eight of the PGA Tour’s ‘elevated events’ will feature reduced fields and no 36-hole cut.   

The announcement has provoked widespread derision from those aligned with LIV, amongst them commissioner Greg Norman and Bland’s fellow Englishmen Lee Westwood and Ian Poulter.   

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However, whilst most dissent has focused on the tour’s apparent copying of LIV’s homework, Bland is more concerned about what the news means for the former European Tour.  

At the end of this season, the top-ten players on the Race To Dubai, who are not already card-holders on the PGA Tour, will earn 2024 playing privileges for the US-based circuit. According to Bland, those cards have been massively devalued by these changes.   

“How does this help the so called strategic alliance with @dpworldtour?” he wrote. “The 10 players will have zero chance of getting in these limited field events!! Making their chances of keeping their playing rights VERY difficult!! Just proves that the @pgatour have no interest in this alliance. And of course this is ‘growing the game’. $20 million, limited field, no cut… sound familiar.”  

Responding to Bland’s post, another LIV man, Hudson Swafford, replied: “It doesn’t help the @dpworldtour at all… sad!”  

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Westwood, meantime, posted his own cryptic reply, saying: “Wait until 2024!”  

However, Patrick Cantlay believes that the changes are a good thing for players and fans alike.   

“The biggest advantage of it is locking in the stars that play those events into four days,” said the world No.4. “So, if you’re a little kid in whatever city that a tournament is going on – LA, for example – and you can only go on Sunday, you know that if Tiger Woods enters the tournament, on Sunday you can go watch him. Rory, you can go watch him. I think that’s really powerful.” 

Michael McEwan is the Deputy Editor of bunkered and has been part of the team since 2004. In that time, he has interviewed almost every major figure within the sport, from Jack Nicklaus, to Rory McIlroy, to Donald Trump. The host of the multi award-winning bunkered Podcast and a member of Balfron Golfing Society, Michael is the author of three books and is the 2023 PPA Scotland 'Writer of the Year' and 'Columnist of the Year'. Dislikes white belts, yellow balls and iron headcovers. Likes being drawn out of the media ballot to play Augusta National.

Deputy Editor