LIV golfer blasts DP World Tour over partnership with PGA Tour, new Ryder Cup qualifying.

Count Richard Bland is a former member of the DP World Tour who is not supportive of the “strategic alliance” initiated by ex-chief executive Keith Pelley between the European Tour and the PGA Tour in November 2020. Bland expressed his dissatisfaction during a press conference held before the Asian Tour’s International Series – England tournament at Foxhills Country Club near London. As the recent champion of the Senior PGA Championship and U.S. Senior Open, Bland clearly conveyed the intensity of his emotions regarding the alliance.

In particular, Bland, who famously recorded the first win of his then uneventful European/DP World Tour career at the 478th attempt before defecting to LIV Golf, took aim at the annual agreement that sees the top 10 players on the DP World Tour’s Race to Dubai points list who don’t already own PGA Tour cards gain exemption for the following season across the Atlantic.

I think getting into bed with the Americans was completely the wrong idea,” said Bland to Golf Digest, minutes after his initial outburst. “Does anyone honestly think [PGA Tour commissioner] Jay Monahan cares about the DP World Tour? No, he doesn’t. For him that ’10 player’ deal was all about how he could get the best DP World Tour players competing on the PGA Tour. They [the PGA Tour] don’t care about the DP World Tour. They never have.”

Bland continued to express his opinions on the matter. Like many others on the DP World Tour, the 51-year-old Englishman believes that Pelley should have chosen the “Saudi option” and focused on a potential financial deal with the Public Investment Fund of Saudi Arabia, which has assets around $925 billion, instead of partnering with the PGA Tour.

“According to Bland, it is widely recognized in the world of golf that the DP World Tour made a mistake a few years ago by not partnering with the Saudis. Many players now understand this decision was wrong.”

Due to Bland switching to LIV Golf, he is unable to participate in the PGA Tour or the PGA Tour Champions, even though he would have qualified for a tour card due to his wins at two senior majors this year.

In the past, Bland has been outspoken about the changes made to the European Ryder Cup qualifying system.

He criticized the focus on performances in major championships and elite PGA Tour events, calling it detrimental to the DP World Tour.

Bland expressed his disappointment by saying that he acknowledges the importance of strong players in America, but believes that it is unfair that no one playing full time in DP World can participate in the Ryder Cup. He mentioned that it is clear that due to the current trend in World Rankings, the Ryder Cup has also been affected. 2,000 points are up for grabs at DP World Tour Rolex events as well as regular PGA Tour events.

The “back nine” events of the DP World Tour offer 1500 points while 1,000 points are at stake at DP World Tour global events and PGA Tour opposite events. In 2025, the top six players who earn the most points will qualify to compete at Bethpage for the European team.

Luke Donald will then have the authority to select six additional players to complete the team.

However, he continued to pursue his grievances.
His next target was the Presidents Cup, focusing on the decision to leave out Ryan Fox from the 2022 International team due to his non-membership in the PGA Tour at that time.

Bland expressed disappointment that a talented player like Foxy, who ranked second on the DP World Tour two years ago, was unable to participate.

He feels that the Ryder Cup now appears to be just another PGA Tour event, which reflects poorly on the rising stars of golf. Bland pointed out that very few players from the DP World Tour are ranked in the top 100 globally, suggesting a decline in the tour’s competitiveness. Ultimately, he believes this development is disheartening for the DP World Tour.