Present this week in Northern Ireland at the ISPS Handa World Invitational despite his status as a LIV Golf player, Richard Bland said that Keith Pelley, the boss of the DP World Tour, in conflict with the dissident League supported by the Public Investment Fund from Saudi Arabia, had encouraged him to take part at the beginning of June in London in the first event of the LIV Golf Invitational Series… Confessions to say the least astonishing made by Richard Bland during a podcast hosted by former footballer Matthew Le Tissier, reports Golf Magic.
The now 49-year-old golfer, who has gone into exile on the LIV Golf, has revealed a conversation he had with the boss of the DP World Tour, the Canadian Keith Pelley, a few weeks before the start of the LIV Golf Invitational Series at the Centurion Club (June 9-11), near London.
Prior to the British Masters (May 5-8), the Englishman had requested an exemption from the European Tour in order to be able to participate in the first LIV Golf tournament in the suburbs of London. Bland had justified it by pointing out that he was offered – the officials of LIV Golf – “an extremely comfortable next stage of his life.
» A derogation refused and accompanied for all members of the DP World Tour present at the Centurion Club by a fine of 100,000 pounds sterling, ultimately paid for by… LIV Golf.
Richard Bland, statements
“I had two or three meetings with Keith Pelley, our CEO, explains Richard Bland.
He said to me, “If I were you, I would do the exact same thing” I told him what I was going to do and I think I was quite frank with him, giving him the reasons why I was doing this. It was only for the money. I’m not ashamed to say it.
Especially not at my age! » Remarks, if we are to believe Bland, which go completely against the official declarations of this same Keith Pelley when sanctioning the “dissident” players prohibiting them from being at the start of the Scottish Open at the beginning of July but also two tournaments co-sanctioned with the PGA Tour, the Barbasol Championship and the Barracuda Championship.
“Those who have chosen this path (going on LIV Golf) have not only disrespected their colleagues but also our Tour, the meritocratic ecosystem of professional golf that has been the foundation of our game for the past fifty years.
years and which will also be the foundation on which we will build the next fifty years, warned Keith Pelley in an official press release. Their actions are not fair to the majority of our members and undermine the Tour, which is why we are taking such action”
“Banished” since from the DP World Tour, Richard Bland participated in the first three tournaments of the LIV Golf Invitational Series, earning the modest sum of 528,000 dollars. However, he returns this week to Northern Ireland for the ISPS Handa World Invitational, a mixed tournament co-sanctioned by the DP World Tour, the LPGA Tour and the Ladies European Tour.
