Richard Bland has enjoyed a remarkable year with two Senior Major titles and an impressive run of performances on the LIV Golf League, and as he heads into this week’s BNI Indonesian Masters at Royale Jakarta Golf Club the English veteran revealed the ‘secret’ behind his consistency.
The 51-year-old recorded nine top-20 finishes in the 13 events on the LIV Golf League this year, picking up points in 12 of them – and has also returned a seventh-place finish on home soil at International Series England in August.
This week’s challenge will be a markedly different one for Bland as he faces the intense heat of Jakarta, his first event in the country since the 2009 Indonesia Open where he finished T5. These conditions are a stark contrast to the South of England, where he usually practices.
Bland said: “I can't imagine the climate has changed a whole lot here, so it's probably going to be hot and sticky this week. It's nothing that we haven't faced before. It always takes a little bit longer to acclimatise when you are in the UK for a little while. But, yeah, come Thursday I’ll be ready to go.
“It's different grass. You must get used to the way the ball comes off the face. So that's the biggest challenge. Especially around the greens, you can get some funny lies just with the different grass. The grass is much stronger than it is at home, so it just takes a little bit more work on the short game, just getting used to that. But hopefully I don't miss too many greens. That's the secret.”
Bland, a member of Martin Kaymer’s Cleeks GC team, finished in a respectable 19th position on the LIV Golf League Standings this season ahead of previous Masters winners Patrick Reed (20th) and Charl Schwartzel (21st).
During the LIV Golf League’s off-season, which wrapped up with the Team Championship in Dallas in September, Bland has been honing his game.
Reflecting on his consistency and areas of focus during the break, he said: “I’ve picked up points in LIV Golf from 12 out of the 13 individual events this year. I've played very consistent. I think it's just knowing what works and what doesn't work, just working on the part of my game, or parts of my game that I know that will give me the more chance of success.
“It's not about standing there hitting, you know, 105 irons on the range, that really doesn't do a huge amount for me. So, it's more about practicing where I know it will make a difference, and just trying to keep on top of that.
“That's the kind of thing that when you are a little bit out of practice it takes a little bit of time to get those field shots dialled in. So, you know, I'm not expecting to be razor sharp this week, but, you know, hopefully it'd be good enough.”
The BNI Indonesian Masters is the seventh of 10 elevated tournaments on The International Series in 2024, and Bland will be joined by 2012 and 2014 Masters champion Bubba Watson, The International Series Rankings leader John Catlin and defending champion Gaganjeet Bhullar among a strong field.
The International Series is the most prized pathway in golf. It consists of 10 elite tournaments sanctioned by the Asian Tour and offers the year-long Rankings leader promotion to the LIV Golf League
