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John Bland
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EXEMPT STATUS: Top 31 on 2001 SENIOR TOUR Money
List
FULL NAME: John Louis Bland
HEIGHT: 5-9
WEIGHT: 176
BIRTHDATE: September 22, 1945
BIRTHPLACE: Johannesburg, South Africa
RESIDENCE: Knysna, South Africa
FAMILY: John-Mark (2/8/69), Bonney (5/7/71), Candice
(3/8/75), one grandchild
EDUCATION: St. John's Boscoe College
SPECIAL INTERESTS: Rugby, gardening
TURNED PROFESSIONAL: 1969
JOINED TOUR: 1995
CLUB AFFILIATION: Fancourt Golf & Country Club,
South Africa
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| SENIOR TOUR Victories |
| (5) 1995 Ralphs Senior Classic. 1996 Puerto Rico Senior Tournament/Champions,
Bruno's Memorial Classic, Northville Long Island Classic, The
Transamerica. |
| International Victories |
| 1995 London Masters. 1997 Liberty Mutual Legends of Golf (with
Graham Marsh), Franklin Templeton Senior South African Open.
1998 Franklin Templeton Senior South African Open. |
| Other Victories |
| 1970 Transvaal Open. 1977 Holiday Inns Champion of Champions.
1977 Victoria Falls Classic, South African PGA Championship.
1979 Holiday Inns Invitational. 1981 Sigma Series 2, Sigma Series
3. 1983 Benson & Hedges International Open, Holiday Inns Invitational,
Kodak Classic. 1984 Goodyear Classic. 1986 Suze Open. 1987 Goodyear
Classic. 1988 Trustbank Tournament of Champions, Safmarine Masters.
1989 Dewar's White Label Trophy. 1990 Dewar's White Label Trophy,
Minolta Match Play, Spoomet Bloemfontein Classic. 1991 Palabora
Classic, Bell's Cup, Trustbank Tournament of Champions, Martini
Open. |
| Current Year Charles Schwab Cup Points
and Positions |
| 34 (T50th) |
| Current Year SENIOR PGA TOUR Money and
Positions |
| $133,613 (35) |
| Current Year SENIOR TOUR Best Finishes |
| T8--Emerald Coast Classic |
| Current Year SENIOR TOUR Best Round |
| 65 at Round 3, Toshiba Senior Classic |
| Best PGA TOUR Finishes |
| 20--1978 World Series of Golf. |
| Best 2001 SENIOR TOUR Finishes |
| 2--The Home Depot Invitational; T4--Toshiba Senior Classic;
T7--The Countrywide Tradition; T8--Kroger Senior Classic |
| 2001 Season SENIOR TOUR |
| Tournaments Entered--30; in money--29; Top-10 finishes--4 |
| 2001 Season Highlights |
| Had just four top-10 finishes, the fewest he's ever recorded
in a full season on the SENIOR TOUR, but still managed to earn
a spot among the top 31 on the money list for a second consecutive
year...Three top-10 performances came in his first 12 official
starts of the campaign. T4 in early March at the Toshiba Senior
Classic. Was one of only three players in the field to record
three sub-70 rounds at Newport Beach but missed out on a spot
in a playoff by two strokes...T7 at The Countrywide Tradition
in mid-April, his third straight top-10 finish in that event
and his best finish in any senior major since 1997...Top effort
of the season came three weeks later at The Home Depot Invitational.
Fired a final-round 66 to finish as the runner-up to Bruce Fleisher
at the TPC at Piper Glen, his best effort since barely losing
to the 1997 U.S. Senior Open at Olympia Fields. Second-place
effort in Charlotte started a run of six straight events when
he was not out of the top 25...Only other top-10 performance
came in early September at the rain-shortened Kroger Senior
Classic. Used a 5-under 65 on Sunday, his lowest round of the
season, to jump from a T28 into a T8 at Kings Island...Went
over $5 million in SENIOR TOUR career money when he pocketed
a check for $40,500 at the SENIOR TOUR Championship at Gaillardia.
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| Career Highlights |
| 2000: Among the top 10 in a quarter of his 32 starts...T4
at the SBC Senior Open near Chicago...Performance at Kemper
Lakes came at the end of a streak of 17 straight par/better
rounds...Finished second to Christy O'Connor, Jr. for the second
straight year at the Senior British Open at Royal County Down,
Northern Ireland. 1999: Had six top-10 performances over 28
events, highlighted by a T4 at the Pacific Bell Senior Classic,
three strokes short of Joe Inman. Closed with a 64 at Wilshire
CC, his low round of the campaign...Ranked seventh on the SENIOR
TOUR in Greens/Regulation. 1998: Season was limited to just
18 events, including just two following the death of his wife
Helen in early August...Put together four straight top-10s,
including a fifth-place effort at the Pittsburgh Senior Classic.
1997: Played some of his best golf during a four-month period
from mid-May to mid-August, finishing in the top 10 in 12 of
15 events, including eight top-five finishes...Battled good
friend Graham Marsh to the final hole before falling one stroke
short at the U.S. Senior Open at Olympia Fields CC near Chicago...Contended
all the way at Springhouse GC and was runner-up by two strokes
to Gil Morgan at the BellSouth Senior Classic at Opryland...Finished
one shy of Bob Eastwood at the Bell Atlantic Classic after the
final round was canceled by heavy rain...Led all players in
Sub-Par Rounds for the second year in succession (69) and nearly
led outright in Rounds in the 60s once again, finishing in a
tie with Gil Morgan for the top spot with 44...Teamed with Marsh
in March to win the Liberty Mutual Legends of Golf near Palm
Springs, CA...Also lost in a playoff to Gary Player at Senior
British Open at Royal Portrush. 1996: Voted SENIOR TOUR Rookie
of the Year when he earned $1,357,987 on the strength of four
official wins...Claimed the first event of the year, the Puerto
Rico Senior Tournament of Champions, when he birdied the final
two holes to nip Jim Colbert...Was the first of three times
he would finish one spot ahead of Colbert in the winner's circle...The
others were at The Transamerica, by one stroke, and at the Northville
Long Island Classic, by three strokes...Also won the Bruno's
Memorial Classic in a playoff over Kermit Zarley and John Paul
Cain. 1995: Made his SENIOR TOUR debut at The Transamerica (tied
for lead after 36 holes) and T5 at Silverado...Was the fourth
of only seven players ever to Monday-qualify and win an event
(first since Rives McBee in 1989) when he claimed the Ralphs
Senior Classic two weeks after joining the SENIOR TOUR...Earned
an immediate one-year exemption when he came from four strokes
behind to nip Jim Colbert at Wilshire CC with a final-round
65. |
| Personal |
| Says the biggest thrill of his career came at the 1996 PGA
Seniors' Championship when he played with Arnold Palmer for
the first time and recorded his first hole-in-one on the SENIOR
TOUR...Lists Gary Player and Palmer as his heroes and his late
wife, Helen, as the most influential person in his career...Son-in-law
Hughie is his caddie...Has worked with South African teacher
Dennis Hutchinson. |
| SENIOR TOUR Playoff Record |
| 1-0 |
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