He coached baseball. Time on the practice range ranks low on the priority scale.
Family always wins.
Nevertheless, Bland, pro at Darlington Country Club for 13 years, found himself among the leaders after Tuesday's first round of the State Open. He birdied his final hole to finish at even-par 72 at Spring Valley Country Club. He will join the posse in pursuit of Andrew Gardner, Tony Branham and Greg Jones Jr., who all shot 3-under par 69s. If successful, Bland will plug a hole in his golf credentials that show him to be one of the Carolinas PGA Section's best through the years. I won the South Carolina PGA three times and finished second in the Carolinas Open a time or two.