2021 U.S. Open: Who is Richard Bland? How is He Leading?

Richard Bland shot a 4-under par 67 on Friday at Torrey Pines to take the lead in the 2021 U.S. Open. What many people are asking themselves right now is, who exactly is Richard Bland?

Bland is 48 years old and hails from Southampton, England. He turned professional in 1996 and has spent his entire career playing on various tours in Europe.

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Bland accomplished a major feat last month when, in his 478th career start, he earned his first victory. That came at the Betfred British Masters, where he topped Guido Migliozzi in a playoff. Bland’s 477 starts before earning is first a victory is the second-longest such streak, trailing only Malcolm MacKenzie, who had 509 starts before earning a victory.

So, Bland was hot coming into Torrey Pines, relatively speaking. However, his major championship experience, even at 48, was severely lacking.

Prior to this week, Bland had played in just three majors during his career. In 1998, he missed the cut at the Open Championship. In 2009, he missed the cut at the U.S. Open. And in 2017, he made his only career cut in a major when he finished in a tie for 22nd at the Open Championship.

On Friday, however, Bland looked like a seasoned veteran, handling the tough Torrey Pines layout with relative ease. He made seven birdies on the day, paired with three bogeys, to finish with that 67. When Bland finished, it was the best round of the day.

After shooting a 1-under par 70 on Thursday, Bland grabbed the lead in just his second U.S. Open. He became the first player 48 or older to be in the Top 10 through 36 holes at the U.S. Open since Fred Funk in 2004.

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Bland will be in the spotlight on Saturday, as he will likely be in, or near, the lead. The veteran will need to use every bit of his experience to handle the pressure of playing with, and against, the world’s best.

But for now, Bland can bask in the fact that he at least had a share of the lead, at one point, after completing 36 holes at the U.S. Open.

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