'48-year-old veteran' Bland "First European Tour win in 23 years"..."Dreams come true"

British Masters Final Day '6-Under Par Perfect Play', Duel with Migliozzi Ends in 'Winning Par' on First Playoff Hole

Richard Bland is cheering while holding the trophy immediately after winning the European Tour British Masters. Sutton Coldfield, England=Getty Images/Multibits Photo by Getty Images

[Asia Economy Golf Specialist Reporter Kim Hyun-jun] "A dream come true."

The '48-year-old veteran' Richard Bland (England) finally stood atop the European Tour. On the 16th (Korean time), at the Belfry Golf Club in Sutton Coldfield, England (par 72, 7,232 yards), the final 4th round of the British Masters (total prize money ?1.85 million) concluded. He surged with a 6-under-par to take the top spot on the leaderboard (13-under-par 275 strokes), then clinched the precious 'winning par' on the first hole of a playoff against Guido Migliozzi (Italy) at the 18th hole (par 4).

Bland is a veteran who started on the Challenge Tour (2nd tier) in 1998 and advanced to the European Tour in 2002. Currently ranked 218th in the world, this victory is big news as it came after 23 years and 478 tournaments. During that time, he failed to produce notable results and even had to return to the Challenge Tour and Q-School to extend his tour card, walking a thorny path. He secured various spoils including a two-year tour card and a winner's prize of €340,000 (46.5 million KRW).

It is remarkable that Bland made 6 birdies on holes 1, 3, 7, 10, 12, and 18, delivering a 'perfect play' that day. The birdie on the final 18th hole (par 4) especially served as the momentum to reach the playoff. He combined an 83.33% greens in regulation rate with 28 'stingy putts'. "There were many difficulties, but I never gave up," he cheered. Migliozzi finished second, and Mikko Korhonen (Finland) along with two others tied for third place (12-under-par 276 strokes).

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.