LIV Golf 2026 Season Player Preview: Richard Bland

The 2026 LIV Golf season starts in February under the lights in Riyadh, and in the next few months, we’ll take a detailed look at each player competing next season. Next up is a veteran who continues to produce for Cleeks Golf Club, Richard Bland.

LOOKING AHEAD

The finish line may be in sight for Bland, but for 2026, the 52-year-old has proven he can still produce solid results for the Cleeks. The team should be stronger with their new addition Victor Perez, and while Bland can’t be expected to carry the load for the team, he should once again contribute to what I’d expect to be a better season for the team led by Martin Kaymer.

LOOKING BACK

The ageless wonder continued to turn back the clock in 2025, delivering yet another impressive campaign. Bland narrowly missed extending his three-year streak of finishing in the Lock Zone but remained a model of competitive consistency. The league’s oldest player proved he still belongs at the highest level by leading the Cleeks with four top-10 finishes, which was the most of any player on the roster.

WHAT THE STATS SAY 

Strengths: Bland ranked 22nd in scoring average for the season (-1.08), which outperformed his overall place on the standings (27th). He was accurate off the tee, hitting 66% of the fairways. The Englishman’s consistency was due in large part to his strong season with his irons. He ranked 16th in the league in Strokes Gained: Approach, gaining an average of 0.27 strokes on the field per round. His short game was solid but unspectacular. He ranked 23rd in Strokes Gained: Putting and 25th in Strokes Gained: Around the Green.

Weaknesses: Bland ranked in the bottom-10 in the league in driving distance (296.8 yards), which makes it really hard to compete with the top players in the league on a regular basis. The lack of distance resulted in a rank of 38th in Strokes Gained: Off the Tee as he lost 0.18 strokes per round to the field.

CAREER RESULTS 

LIV GOLF REGULAR SEASON 

Year    Teams              Starts    Rounds    1st  2nd  3rd Total Top 10s  Total Top 24s 

2022    Crushers GC   1            3               0     0       0      0                        0 

2022    Smash GC       2            6               0     0       0      0                        0 

2022    Cleeks GC       4            12             0     0       0      1                        3 

2023    Cleeks GC       13          39             0     0       1      3                        8 

2024    Cleeks GC       13          39             0     0       0      3                        12 

2025    Cleeks GC       13          39             0     0       0      3                        7 

TOTAL                           46         138           0     0       1      10                      31 

TOTAL TROPHIES WON (1)

Individual Regular Season Wins: 0
Team Regular Season Wins: 1
Individual Championship: 0
Team Championship: 0 

LIV GOLF CAREER SCORING

Stroke Average Total: 69.55
Round 1 Average: 69.23
Round 2 Average: 69.61
Round 3 Average: 69.11

Lowest Round: 63 

BOTTOM LINE 

Bland is a savvy veteran who knows how to put solid rounds together and get into the top 24 to earn points for the Cleeks. Although he won’t contend to win many events, he can absolutely make an appearance or two at the top of leaderboards on shorter tracks that favor accuracy over distance. As he’s done every year of his LIV Golf career, Bland will be in the mix to finish the season in the Lock Zone due to his consistency and ability to avoid big numbers on the scorecard.