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John Bland (golfer)

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John Bland
Bland at the 2010 Dutch Senior Open
Personal information
Full nameJohn Louis Bland
Born(1945-09-22)22 September 1945
Johannesburg, Transvaal, South Africa
Died9 May 2023(2023-05-09) (aged 77)
George, Western Cape, South Africa
Height1.75 m (5 ft 9 in)
Weight73 kg (161 lb; 11.5 st)
Sporting nationality South Africa
Career
Turned professional1969
Former tour(s)European Tour
Sunshine Tour
Champions Tour
European Senior Tour
Professional wins36
Highest ranking49 (28 April 1991)[1]
Number of wins by tour
European Tour2
Sunshine Tour19
Challenge Tour1
PGA Tour Champions5
European Senior Tour3
Other6
Best results in major championships
Masters TournamentDNP
PGA ChampionshipDNP
U.S. OpenDNP
The Open ChampionshipT16: 1980
Achievements and awards
Southern Africa Tour
Order of Merit winner
1977–78, 1987–88,
1989–90, 1990–91
Senior PGA Tour
Rookie of the Year
1996

John Louis Bland (22 September 1945 – 9 May 2023) was a South African professional golfer who won more than thirty professional tournaments around the world.

Early life and career

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Bland was born in Johannesburg, Union of South Africa. Turning professional in 1969, he was a leading player on the Southern African Tour for over twenty years. He spent the northern summers playing on the European Tour, where he won twice. He was a more consistent contender than this tally might suggest, as he finished in the top-20 on the Order of Merit six times.

After reaching the age of fifty in 1995, Bland played mainly on the United States-based Champions Tour. He won five tournaments on the tour, including four in 1996, when he finished third on the money list. He has also won three tournaments on the European Senior Tour.

Death

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Bland died after battling cancer in George, Western Cape, South Africa, on 9 May 2023, at the age of 77.[2][3]

Professional wins (36)

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European Tour wins (2)

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No. Date Tournament Winning score Margin of
victory
Runner-up
1 21 Aug 1983 Benson & Hedges International Open −15 (68-70-67-68=273) 1 stroke West Germany Bernhard Langer
2 20 Apr 1986 Suze Open −12 (68-71-70-67=276) 4 strokes Spain Seve Ballesteros

Southern Africa Tour wins (19)

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Legend
Tour Championships (2)
Other Southern Africa Tour (17)
No. Date Tournament Winning score Margin of
victory
Runner(s)-up
1 22 Oct 1977 Lexington PGA Championship −5 (68-67-70-70=275) 2 strokes South Africa Gary Player
2 29 Oct 1977 Victoria Falls Classic −9 (70-69-72-72=283) 3 strokes South Africa John Fourie
3 3 Dec 1977 Holiday Inns Invitational −23 (67-66-65-67=265) 4 strokes South Africa Bobby Cole
4 7 Feb 1979 Holiday Inns Open (2) −21 (66-69-65-67=267) Playoff South Africa Andries Oosthuizen
5 17 Jan 1981 Sigma Series 2 −15 (71-65-70-67=273) 3 strokes Zimbabwe Nick Price
6 24 Jan 1981 Sigma Series 3 −15 (71-66-66-70=273) 1 stroke South Africa Tienie Britz, Zimbabwe Nick Price
7 26 Feb 1983 Holiday Inns Pro-Am (3) −17 (68-65-68-70=271) 2 strokes Zimbabwe Teddy Webber
8 5 Mar 1983 Kodak Golf Classic −17 (65-67-70-69=271) Playoff United States David Sann
9 22 Dec 1984 Goodyear Classic −11 (68-69-72-68=277) Playoff Zimbabwe Nick Price
10 20 Dec 1987 Goodyear Classic (2) −3 (71-69-72-69=281) 2 strokes South Africa Mark Wiltshire
11 13 Mar 1988 Trustbank Tournament of Champions −20 (67-66-67-68=268) 3 strokes Canada Philip Jonas, Zimbabwe Mark McNulty
12 26 Nov 1988 Safmarine South African Masters −13 (69-70-63-73=275) 3 strokes Zimbabwe Tony Johnstone
13 7 Jan 1989 Dewar's White Label Trophy −15 (70-66-71-66=273) 1 stroke Zimbabwe Tony Johnstone
14 3 Mar 1990 Dewar's White Label Trophy (2) −14 (64-70-71-69=274) 1 stroke United States Jay Townsend
15 17 Nov 1990 Minolta Copiers Match Play −2 (70) 5 strokes South Africa Hugh Baiocchi
16 15 Dec 1990 Bloemfontein Classic −15 (65-67-73-68=273) 6 strokes South Africa Hugh Baiocchi
17 12 Jan 1991 Palabora Classic −10 (70-69-68-71=278) 1 stroke South Africa Mark Wiltshire
18 23 Feb 1991 Bell's Cup −11 (68-67-71-71=277) 1 stroke South Africa Retief Goosen
19 2 Mar 1991 Trustbank Tournament of Champions (2) −19 (62-71-70-66=269) 7 strokes South Africa Justin Hobday

Southern Africa Tour playoff record (3–1)

No. Year Tournament Opponent(s) Result
1 1979 Holiday Inns Open South Africa Andries Oosthuizen Won with par on fifth extra hole
2 1981 Datsun South African Open England Warren Humphreys, South Africa Gary Player Player won with birdie on third extra hole after 18-hole playoff;
Player: −2 (70),
Bland: −2 (70),
Humphreys: E (72)
3 1983 Kodak Golf Classic United States David Sann Won with par on third extra hole
4 1984 Goodyear Classic Zimbabwe Nick Price Won with birdie on first extra hole

Challenge Tour wins (1)

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No. Date Tournament Winning score Margin of
victory
Runner-up
1 22 Jun 1991 Martini Open −18 (270) 3 strokes England Jon Evans

Other wins (2)

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Senior PGA Tour wins (5)

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No. Date Tournament Winning score Margin of
victory
Runner(s)-up
1 22 Oct 1995 Ralphs Senior Classic −12 (69-67-65=201) 1 stroke United States Jim Colbert
2 21 Jan 1996 Puerto Rico Senior Tournament of Champions −9 (69-68-70=207) 1 stroke United States Jim Colbert
3 2 Jun 1996 Bruno's Memorial Classic −8 (67-70-71=208) Playoff United States John Paul Cain, United States Kermit Zarley
4 18 Aug 1996 Northville Long Island Classic −14 (70-66-66=202) 3 strokes United States Jim Colbert
5 13 Oct 1996 The Transamerica −12 (69-69-66=204) 1 stroke United States Jim Colbert

Senior PGA Tour playoff record (1–1)

No. Year Tournament Opponent(s) Result
1 1996 Bruno's Memorial Classic United States John Paul Cain, United States Kermit Zarley Won with bogey on third extra hole
Zarley eliminated by par on second hole
2 1997 Senior British Open South Africa Gary Player Lost to birdie on second extra hole

European Senior Tour wins (3)

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No. Date Tournament Winning score Margin of
victory
Runner(s)-up
1 1 Oct 1995 London Masters −6 (70-69-71=210) 4 strokes England Tony Grubb, South Africa Hugh Inggs,
England John Morgan, South Africa Bobby Verwey
2 9 Aug 2009 Bad Ragaz PGA Seniors Open −11 (65-69-65=199) Playoff United States Bob Boyd
3 20 Jun 2010 Ryder Cup Wales Seniors Open −8 (69-68-71=208) 1 stroke Paraguay Ángel Franco, South Africa Chris Williams

European Senior Tour playoff record (1–1)

No. Year Tournament Opponent Result
1 1997 Senior British Open South Africa Gary Player Lost to birdie on second extra hole
2 2009 Bad Ragaz PGA Seniors Open United States Bob Boyd Won with birdie on second extra hole

Other senior wins (4)

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Results in major championships

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Tournament 1977 1978 1979 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991
The Open Championship CUT T52 CUT T16 CUT CUT CUT CUT CUT CUT CUT CUT CUT T53 T80

Note: Bland only played in The Open Championship.
CUT = missed the half-way cut (3rd round cut in 1979, 1981, 1982, 1983 and 1984 Open Championships)
"T" = tied

Team appearances

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References

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  1. ^ "Week 17 1991 Ending 28 Apr 1991" (pdf). OWGR. Retrieved 7 October 2019.
  2. ^ "SA golfer John Bland passes away". The Citizen. South Africa. 9 May 2023. Retrieved 9 May 2023.
  3. ^ "Statement on the passing of John Bland". Sunshine Tour. 9 May 2023. Retrieved 9 May 2023.
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