Richard Bland kisses the Francis D. Ouimet Memorial Trophy after winning the U.S. Senior Open at Newport Country Club on Monday. England’s Richard Bland needed a four-hole playoff to defeat Japan’s Hiroyuki Fujita and win the rain-delayed U.S. Senior Open at Newport (RI) Country Club on Monday.
Bland won only after hitting the flagstick on a bunker shot on the fourth extra hole and then holing a putt for par. Fujita led the tournament almost from start to finish, but finished with back-to-back bogeys on the par-4 18th hole, which was used for the final three holes of the playoff.
The win marks the second consecutive major victory for Bland, who also won the Senior PGA last month and credits playing at LIV Golf with reviving his career.
“To get to the top … I was just hoping I was good enough to compete,” Bland said. “I had never played against these guys. I knew if I played the way I know I can play, I would be good enough to compete. But, yeah, to be here with two majors, it’s … yeah, I’m at a loss for words right now.”
Bland said the bunker shot on the fourth extra hole wasn’t that complicated and he tried to normalize it as much as possible as if he were playing with friends.
“It was just a moment where I had to stay aggressive, stay committed, and it came out perfect,” Bland said.
When rain fell Sunday afternoon, canceling part of the final round, Fujita had a three-shot lead with eight holes remaining. But as he struggled to close out his victory, Bland took the lead after birdies on Nos. 14 and 15.
“I felt like it was going to be harder to catch,” Bland said. “You’re trying to catch but also not make mistakes. He might trip once or twice, which I think happened early on.”
In addition to two bogeys in the playoff, Fujita bogeyed three of his first four holes when play resumed Monday.
“The wind was a little different today,” Fujita said. “It was the first time I played in Newport with that kind of wind. So I was a little worried about that, and you can see the results there, some shots weren’t what I would have liked them to be.”
Bland needed just a par on the 72nd hole Monday, but his bogey on the 18th hole left the tournament tied at 13-under 267. Richard Green of Australia finished three shots back in third, while Steve Sticker was fourth at 9-under.
Bland trailed by five shots entering Sunday’s final round. He hadn’t even qualified for the U.S. Senior Open before winning the Senior PGA Tour. The only players to win senior majors on their first two attempts are Arnold Palmer and Alex Cejka.
Bland also became the 12th player to win the U.S. Senior Open in his tournament debut.
“I’m a much better golfer than I was before I joined LIV, but I think it’s the caliber of players I play against on LIV,” Bland said. “Playing against Bryson, who won last week at Pinehurst, playing against him, playing against Jon Rahm, Cam Smith, DJ, Brooks, they’re the best players in the world. I don’t care what the world rankings say. If I want to compete with those guys, I have to bring my game.”
–Field level media
