Richard Bland closes in on sealing his spot at the Masters as he sees off fellow Brit Lee Westwood to move into the last 16 of the WGC-Match Play Championship
- Richard Bland has never previously competed at the Masters tournament
- However, he is in fine form and beat Lee Westwood on Friday at the Match Play
- He is now on course to qualify for next month’s Masters for the first time
Richard Bland is now so close to a remarkable Masters debut at the age of 49 he wouldn’t be human if Georgia wasn’t on his mind.
The underdog’s underdog stepped out of Lee Westwood’s formidable shadow on Friday, beating his illustrious fellow Englishman two and one in a nerve-wracking cracker to win his group and seal his place in the last 16 on his maiden appearance in the WGC-Match Play Championship in Austin, Texas.
What a terrific performance this was from Bland, given everything that was at stake. It was obvious what it meant to him as he pumped his fist continuously after sinking a 20ft putt at the 17th for the win. ‘Lee is a legend of the sport and so to get one over him, this feels pretty special,’ said Bland.
Richard Bland moved into the last 16 of the Match Play Championship on Friday
The 49-year-old is now closing in on making his Masters debut in Georgia next month
After coping with all the hype and hoopla of Bryson DeChambeau’s comeback in his opening game Bland followed up his half-point from that match with a win over Talor Gooch.
It meant that his fate was in his own hands against Westwood and he looked in complete control when he went three up after 11. Back came Westwood with a fabulous eagle at the 12th and from there to the end it was a case of whether Bland could focus on the task at hand and keep his nerve.
He did that brilliantly with birdies at the final two holes of the match to set up a mouth-watering tie this morning against former world number one Dustin Johnson.
‘We all know how good he is but if I can keep doing my thing he’s got a match on his hands,’ said Bland.
Bryson DeChambeau is still struggling and has not won his first three matches at the event
To trigger a Masters invite, the Southampton man, currently 60th, has to clamber into the top 50 following this event. Such are the complexities of the algorithms and dependent on the progress of others in a similar position, it’s not clear how much more Bland needs to do, but victory against Johnson ought to be enough.
As for DeChambeau, he lost again to Gooch, leaving him without a win from three matches in his first event for seven weeks following a hand injury. He certainly has work to do before Augusta.
Elsewhere, in-form Tyrrell Hatton joined Bland in the last 16 with an impressive win over feisty American Ryder Cup player Daniel Berger to make it three wins out of three from his group. He will now play Irishman Seamus Power.
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