# John Bland (golfer)

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

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

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

## Professional wins (36)
### European Tour wins (2)

| 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 | Bernhard Langer |
| 2 | 20 Apr 1986 | Suze Open | −12 (68-71-70-67=276) | 4 strokes | Seve Ballesteros |

### Southern Africa Tour wins (19)

* 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 | Gary Player |
| 2 | 29 Oct 1977 | Victoria Falls Classic | −9 (70-69-72-72=283) | 3 strokes | John Fourie |
| 3 | 3 Dec 1977 | Holiday Inns Invitational | −23 (67-66-65-67=265) | 4 strokes | Bobby Cole |
| 4 | 7 Feb 1979 | Holiday Inns Open (2) | −21 (66-69-65-67=267) | Playoff | Andries Oosthuizen |
| 5 | 17 Jan 1981 | Sigma Series 2 | −15 (71-65-70-67=273) | 3 strokes | Nick Price |
| 6 | 24 Jan 1981 | Sigma Series 3 | −15 (71-66-66-70=273) | 1 stroke | Tienie Britz, Nick Price |
| 7 | 26 Feb 1983 | Holiday Inns Pro-Am (3) | −17 (68-65-68-70=271) | 2 strokes | Teddy Webber |
| 8 | 5 Mar 1983 | Kodak Golf Classic | −17 (65-67-70-69=271) | Playoff | David Sann |
| 9 | 22 Dec 1984 | Goodyear Classic | −11 (68-69-72-68=277) | Playoff | Nick Price |
| 10 | 20 Dec 1987 | Goodyear Classic (2) | −3 (71-69-72-69=281) | 2 strokes | Mark Wiltshire |
| 11 | 13 Mar 1988 | Trustbank Tournament of Champions | −20 (67-66-67-68=268) | 3 strokes | Philip Jonas, Mark McNulty |
| 12 | 26 Nov 1988 | Safmarine South African Masters | −13 (69-70-63-73=275) | 3 strokes | Tony Johnstone |
| 13 | 7 Jan 1989 | Dewar's White Label Trophy | −15 (70-66-71-66=273) | 1 stroke | Tony Johnstone |
| 14 | 3 Mar 1990 | Dewar's White Label Trophy (2) | −14 (64-70-71-69=274) | 1 stroke | Jay Townsend |
| 15 | 17 Nov 1990 | Minolta Copiers Match Play | −2 (70) | 5 strokes | Hugh Baiocchi |
| 16 | 15 Dec 1990 | Bloemfontein Classic | −15 (65-67-73-68=273) | 6 strokes | Hugh Baiocchi |
| 17 | 12 Jan 1991 | Palabora Classic | −10 (70-69-68-71=278) | 1 stroke | Mark Wiltshire |
| 18 | 23 Feb 1991 | Bell's Cup | −11 (68-67-71-71=277) | 1 stroke | Retief Goosen |
| 19 | 2 Mar 1991 | Trustbank Tournament of Champions (2) | −19 (62-71-70-66=269) | 7 strokes | Justin Hobday |
Southern Africa Tour playoff record (3–1)
| No. | Year | Tournament | Opponent(s) | Result |
| 1 | 1979 | Holiday Inns Open | Andries Oosthuizen | Won with par on fifth extra hole |
| 2 | 1981 | Datsun South African Open | Warren Humphreys, 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 | David Sann | Won with par on third extra hole |
| 4 | 1984 | Goodyear Classic | Nick Price | Won with birdie on first extra hole |

### Challenge Tour wins (1)

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

### Other wins (2)

* 1970 Transvaal Open
* 1976 Holiday Inns Champion of Champions

### Senior PGA Tour wins (5)

| 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 | Jim Colbert |
| 2 | 21 Jan 1996 | Puerto Rico Senior Tournament of Champions | −9 (69-68-70=207) | 1 stroke | Jim Colbert |
| 3 | 2 Jun 1996 | Bruno's Memorial Classic | −8 (67-70-71=208) | Playoff | John Paul Cain, Kermit Zarley |
| 4 | 18 Aug 1996 | Northville Long Island Classic | −14 (70-66-66=202) | 3 strokes | Jim Colbert |
| 5 | 13 Oct 1996 | The Transamerica | −12 (69-69-66=204) | 1 stroke | Jim Colbert |
Senior PGA Tour playoff record (1–1)
| No. | Year | Tournament | Opponent(s) | Result |
| 1 | 1996 | Bruno's Memorial Classic | John Paul Cain, Kermit Zarley | Won with bogey on third extra hole Zarley eliminated by par on second hole |
| 2 | 1997 | Senior British Open | Gary Player | Lost to birdie on second extra hole |

### European Senior Tour wins (3)

| No. | Date | Tournament | Winning score | Margin of victory | Runner(s)-up |
| 1 | 1 Oct 1995 | London Masters | −6 (70-69-71=210) | 4 strokes | Tony Grubb, Hugh Inggs, John Morgan, Bobby Verwey |
| 2 | 9 Aug 2009 | Bad Ragaz PGA Seniors Open | −11 (65-69-65=199) | Playoff | Bob Boyd |
| 3 | 20 Jun 2010 | Ryder Cup Wales Seniors Open | −8 (69-68-71=208) | 1 stroke | Ángel Franco, Chris Williams |
European Senior Tour playoff record (1–1)
| No. | Year | Tournament | Opponent | Result |
| 1 | 1997 | Senior British Open | Gary Player | Lost to birdie on second extra hole |
| 2 | 2009 | Bad Ragaz PGA Seniors Open | Bob Boyd | Won with birdie on second extra hole |

### Other senior wins (4)

* 1997 Liberty Mutual Legends of Golf (with Graham Marsh), Franklin Templeton Senior South African Open
* 1998 Franklin Templeton Senior South African Open
* 2010 Liberty Mutual Legends of Golf – Raphael Division (with Graham Marsh)

## Results in major championships

| 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

* World Cup (representing South Africa): 1975
* Hennessy Cognac Cup (representing the Rest of the World): 1982
* Dunhill Cup (representing South Africa): 1991, 1992