2023 U.S. Open: Inspirational journeyman Richard Bland, 48, leads Moving Day storylines at Torrey Pines

LA JOLLA, Calif. — Richard Bland is an aptronym however possibly not in the way in which you suppose. The 48-year-old journeyman’s journeyman is co-leading the 121st U.S. Open with Russell Henley and trying to one-up Phil Mickelson’s victory on the PGA Championship final month as the perfect 2023 story at a serious by any person who began enjoying golf professionally within the Nineties.

Bland is an effective talker and a superb sport, however his profession has been as, effectively yeah, bland as they arrive. He’s received twice over 600 occasions, by no means on the PGA Tour. He performed 477 (!) European Tour occasions earlier than lastly profitable for the primary time earlier this season as a result of no one beats Richard Bland 478 occasions in a row. This time two years in the past, he misplaced his card on the age of 46 and went all the way down to the European minor leagues, enjoying occasions in locations like Slovakia and Finland. Two years later, he leads the 2023 U.S. Open after 36 holes.

“Golf is all I do know,” he mentioned of the misplaced card. “When occasions received robust and I misplaced my card two or 3 times, I believe, ‘What am I going to do, go and get an workplace job?’ I’m not that clever, I’m afraid. I’ve all the time been somebody that may get my head down and work onerous, and I all the time knew I had the sport to compete on the European Tour on the highest stage. I’ve all the time identified that.”

Now he’s doing it at an excellent increased stage than that. Bland is the oldest man to guide a U.S. Open on the midway level since World Struggle II, and he’s doing it over the largest names in sport. Xander Schauffele, Jon Rahm, Bubba Watson, Rory McIlroy, Brooks Koepka, Collin Morikawa and Justin Thomas are all excessive on the leaderboard, however Bland is out in entrance of all of them.

His emotional victory on the Betfred British Masters helped get him into this occasion, his fourth main in as many a long time and simply the second time he’s ever performed the weekend (he additionally did so on the 2017 Open Championship, which Jordan Spieth went on to win).

“As any golf profession, you’re going to have peaks and troughs,” mentioned Bland. “In fact you might be. However I simply suppose each sort of sportsman, sportswoman, they’ve that never-die or that never-quit perspective, irrespective of whether or not it’s golf or it’s tennis or it’s boxing, no matter it’s. The outdated saying is you get knocked down seven occasions, you rise up eight. I’ve all the time had that sort of perspective that you just simply hold going. You by no means know on this sport, you simply hold going.”

It’s a superb perspective for profitable a U.S. Open, too. Bland will definitely be battered this weekend by Torrey Pines and the gathering cadre of superstars surrounding him. It’s unlikely he’ll face up to it. In fact, the identical was mentioned about Phil Mickelson on a Friday night time this time three weeks in the past.

Bland is just not Mickelson, clearly, however hope is a loopy factor. Is the hole between grinding in Slovakia in June 2019 and main the U.S. Open in June 2023 wider than the hole between main the U.S. Open on Friday night time and main it on Sunday night time? Maybe.

Regardless, Bland is the story going into the weekend. A journeyman’s journeyman enjoying in his fourth main throughout 25 years trying down at Corridor of Famers and legends. His reply when Golf Channel’s Damon Hack requested him how he would hold from occupied with turning into the U.S. Open champion on Friday night time or Saturday morning was fabulous as a result of it — identical to the remainder of his profession — was extremely relatable. In a world the place athletes attempt to lean away from occupied with their desires an excessive amount of, Bland isn’t too scared to emotionally put money into the close to future.

“Yeah in fact [I’ll think about it],” he mentioned. “It’s going to be fairly robust not to try this.”

Rick Gehman is joined by Greg DuCharme to interrupt down and react to Friday’s 2nd spherical motion on the U.S. Open. Observe & hearken to The First Reduce on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.

Let’s check out the opposite main storylines coming into Shifting Day on Saturday.

Louis Oosthuizen (-4) wants a second: The easiest way I’ve seen Oosthuizen’s profession described is that he’s filled with front-door prime 10s. In different phrases, he doesn’t end excessive in each main, however when he’s in it, he’s in it. That’s true once more this week as he began 67-71 and is the highest-ranked participant within the remaining two pairings on Saturday. This isn’t a golf course that strokes me as a Louis Oosthuizen golf course, however the sport travels effectively just about wherever on the planet. If any person “deserves” one other main win, Oosthuizen is that man.

Matthew Wolff (-4)’s wild 12 months could culminate in a win: This time a 12 months in the past, Wolff had not even performed a serious championship. Now he’s contended in three of the 5 he’s performed with this being probably the most inconceivable of all of them. After taking a couple of months off following some actually horrible golf to get his thoughts proper and regain the angle that people are usually not solely the sums of their golf scores, Wolff is crushing once more. He’s made 12 birdies up to now this week and has reminded us by the primary 36 holes that he has off-the-charts expertise.

Jon Rahm (-3) could also be inevitable: You may make the case that he’s the best participant of all time and not using a main championship. I’ve made that case, the truth is. Not most achieved or greatest resume however flat-out the perfect one. His 70 on Friday was mega-impressive as a result of he didn’t have even near his greatest stuff. The pre-tournament favourite at 10-1 stays the favourite after the primary two rounds, and the thought many have proposed that this was his main to lose all through the week is starting to seem like it was true all alongside.

The lions: Again at one of many Masters that Charley Hoffman led (which, to be truthful, may have been a number of completely different Masters), I despatched a tweet about how he felt like a gazelle being chased by a pack of lions (stars and superstars) on the weekend. That’s what it feels a bit like with Bland and Henley. In the event that they’re the gazelles, then Bryson DeChambeau (E), Brooks Koepka (E), Justin Thomas (E), Collin Morikawa (E) and Rory McIlroy (+1) are the lions. Who emerges from the pack on Saturday? Who legitimately performs for the trophy on Sunday?

The weekend at Torrey Pines is ready. Let’s have ourselves a present.