U.S. Open champion unable to defend title due to | Golf News

Richard Bland won’t be defending the U.S. Senior Open title he gained 12 months in the past this week due to his commitments to LIV Golf.

Bland, who performs on the LIV circuit alongside the likes of Phil Mickelson and Bryson DeChambeau, more than made his mark in the senior sport final season. The Englishman banked the Senior PGA crown final May, before securing the Senior U.S. Open title a month later in his first two begins.

One 12 months on, though, the previous DP World Tour star might be unable to win the occasion for a second time, as some of the stalwarts of males’s skilled golf descend on The Broadmoor Golf Club.

Instead, the 52-year-old might be in motion on the breakaway circuit, with LIV making their annual stop in Dallas this week. Bland, who performs for the Cleeks, is contractually obliged to play in every LIV occasion, that means he’s needed at the Maridoe Golf Club as a substitute of Broadmoor.

Speaking to Express U.S. Sports final month, Bland opened up on lacking his title protection, commenting: “Unfortunately, I can’t defend the Senior U.S. Open, which is a disgrace.

“I’d love to. I’d love to play in my home main,” he commented. “Unfortunately, it’s a closed ebook, which I believe is more DP World [Tour] than the R&A.

“I never had my fines paid while enjoying LIV, and that is the stumbling block we’ve got. Lee Westwood is in the identical place. Hopefully, in the longer term, that avenue will open.

“Hopefully, it occurs sooner quite than later. If it does, it could be a event I’d massively look ahead to. I sincerely hope it occurs.”

If he’s to make his method to The Senior Open, he might once again face a schedule drawback. Over the previous two years, LIV have scheduled their UK occasion on the identical week as the ultimate senior main, which might once again limit Bland from teeing it up.