Richard Bland’s bank account is now $10,000 lighter. The Englishman was slapped with a one-stroke slow-play penalty Friday at the LIV Golf event in Chicago after exceeding the allotted 40 seconds that he has to play a shot.
He was also given a slow-play penalty last year at the LIV Golf event at Valderrama.
Bland, 51, was grouped with Charl Schwartzel and Patrick Reed and Bolingbrook Golf Club and they were first warned on their fifth holes of the day (No. 10) that they were out of position. Two holes later, according to a release by LIV Golf, they were further out of position.
Explanation of one-stroke penalty assessed to Richard Bland in Friday's first round of #LIVGolf Chicago pic.twitter.com/FgutM7feXv
— LIV Golf Communications (@LIVGolfComms) September 13, 2024
On the 12th hole, Bland’s second shot was deemed to have been longer that the policy allows and was immediately notified by an official. He was assessed a one-stroke penalty and fined $10,000. Although the penalty happened on the 12th hole, it somehow was added to his score on the par-5 14th hole, according to the LIV release.
Bland shot one-over 71 and is tied for 21st place. Brooks Koepka made eight birdies and shot eight-under 62 to lead Paul Casey by four shots. Joaquin Niemann leads Jon Rahm by one shot in the season-long individual race, which is worth $18 million. Whichever player finishes higher at the end of the week will win.
The penalty for Bland is one of several this year on the LIV Golf circuit. Niemann was assessed a two-shot penalty back in February after playing the ball from a wrong place and Adrian Meronk was handed a slow-play penalty in March that ultimately cost him $240,000 in earnings.
Main Image: Brennan Asplen