Richard Bland will not go to the Champions Tour if LIV Golf folds

Golf LIV the future is in doubt but 53-year-old Richard Bland knows one thing about where his professional career is going – it won’t be on the PGA Champions Tour.

Bland, who won the Senior PGA Championship and US Senior Open in 2024, said Friday at LIV Golf Virginia that he may see the end of his playing days coming. While former members of LIV Pat Perez AND Henrik Stenson Bland will not be following in the footsteps of his former LIV teammates, having opted to take a year off before making it to the senior PGA Tour.

“From what I’ve been told, I’m not very welcome there,” Bland said Friday.

“I haven’t been given the exemption. I’m the only major champion who’s never gotten that exemption, and that’s fine, I have no problem with that,” Bland said. “I think the Champions Tour has made it almost impossible for anyone to come and play. I’m not going to go and chase it. I’ll be 54 but I’ll still be out for a year.”

The Senior PGA Championship and the US Senior Open are administered by the PGA of America and the USGA, respectively, while the PGA Tour operates the PGA Tour Champions.

LIV Golf is in uncharted waters as Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund announced that it will withdraw financial support for the league after the 2026 season. LIV Golf CEO Scott O’Neil is working to secure foreign investment THE keep the league going beyond this season.

For Bland, however, he knows the end of his professional days is near. This is something he has made peace with.

“I know it’s coming pretty soon,” Bland said of retirement. “I kind of determined next year would probably be my last year playing full-time like I do now. Then, going forward, really kind of spread out, but I play where I want to play. For me now, I’m 53 years old. For me, the traveling is the hard part. … That’s been the hard thing for me, it’s the recovery, the preparation for the tour.

Bland turned professional in 1996 and became the oldest DP World Tour winner for the first time when he won the Betfred British Masters in 2021. He jumped at LIV Golf during its inaugural season in 2022 and this will for now be the final chapter of his professional career. He doesn’t feel the need to try to extend it to a senior circuit.

“Semi-retirement is getting very close — and that’s good,” Bland said. “I’m okay with that. I’ve had a helluva ride here and the best decision I’ve ever made.”