Richard Bland fails in bid to qualify to make Masters debut at the age of 49

Richard Bland fails in bid to make Masters debut at the age of 49 after dream unravels at Texas Open following three bogeys in five holes of final round

  • Richard Bland was bidding to make his debut at the Masters at the age of 49
  • The Englishman was seeking the last invite to the event but failed to qualify
  • Bland made three bogeys in five holes in final round of Texas Open 

Richard Bland’s remarkable bid to make his Masters debut at the age of 49 ended at the Valero Texas Open in San Antonio.

With the last invite going to the winner, Bland was just two shots off the lead early in the final round. Making the first appearance of his career in a regular PGA Tour event, it was a spirited response to the disappointment of going so close to making it the previous week, via the world’s top 50 following the WGC-Match Play Championship in nearby Austin.

The Englishman made it to the last 16 in that event but defeat by Dustin Johnson meant he finished 53rd in the rankings.

Richard Bland was chasing the final Masters invite at the Valero Texas Open

But Masters struggled in his final round, ending his dream of playing at Augusta National

But Masters struggled in his final round, ending his dream of playing at Augusta National

Jordan Spieth produced a poor title defence in Texas but will be in the field for the Masters

Jordan Spieth produced a poor title defence in Texas but will be in the field for the Masters

After a bright start to his final round yesterday, Bland’s Masters dream unravelled with three bogeys in five holes.

With 10 holes to go, American Beau Hossler held a narrow one-shot advantage. He was the unlucky man who missed out on an Augusta spot in 2018, when Ian Poulter grabbed the last invite instead, beating Hossler in a play-off.

As for those heading to Augusta, Jordan Spieth completed an otherwise miserable title defence with a 67 to at least give him some encouragement on the flight to Georgia. But he lamented what he called the ‘worst putting performance of my entire career’ — one that saw him miss nine putts under 6ft during the week.

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