LIV Golf's Richard Bland blasts DP World Tour for 'getting in bed with the Americans' over strategic alliance- "The PGA Tour doesn't care"
Richard Bland had a long career on the European Tour (now known as the DP World Tour) before joining LIV Golf. The Englishman is currently banned from the circuit and has already stated that he has no plans to return.
However, Bland does have an opinion on the DP World Tour's recent past and present. The 51-year-old is not a fan of the agreement between the European Tour and the PGA Tour to form a strategic alliance in 2020.
Here is what Richard Bland had to say about it for Golf Digest:
"I think getting into bed with the Americans was completely the wrong idea. Does anyone honestly think Jay Monahan cares about the DP World Tour? No, he doesn’t."
He added:
"For him that '10 player' deal was all about how he could get the best DP World Tour players competing on the PGA Tour. They don’t care about the DP World Tour. They never have."
Richard Bland also shared his vision of the path the European Tour should have taken instead of entering into this agreement with the PGA Tour:
"Let’s face it, anyone who knows anything about world golf knows that the DP World Tour made the wrong decision three, four years ago when they had the opportunity to go with the Saudis. I think most of the players have realized that."
The strategic alliance was signed by the PGA Tour and the DP World Tour in 2020. One of the key implications was that PGA Tour cards would be awarded annually to the top 10 players on the European Tour, unless otherwise exempt.
Bland has been playing on the LIV Golf tour since 2022. He rose to prominence recently, winning the 2024 Senior PGA Championship and the Senior US Open.
A look at Richard Bland's career on the DP World Tour
Bland began his professional career in 1996, but had to play several seasons on feeder circuits, including the Challenge Tour, before earning his card on the European Tour (now the DP World Tour) in 2002.
His career on the European main circuit included 511 tournaments played, with 293 cuts made. He made 44 top-10 finishes, including one win, four second-place finishes and four third-place finishes.
Bland's only victory on the DP World Tour came in 2021 (Betfred British Masters) on his 478th start on the circuit. The Englishman was 48 at the time, making him the second oldest player to win on the European Tour.
In fact, the 2021 season was Richard Bland's best, with two third-place finishes and six top-10s in addition to his victory. This led to a career-high 11th place finish in the Race to Dubai.