NEWPORT (AP) – Richard Bland shot a 4-under 66 in the final round of the U.S. Senior Open, catching leader Hiroyuki Fujita after rain postponed the finish to Monday morning and then banging a chip shot off the pin to beat him on the fourth playoff hole and win his second straight senior major.
The Senior PGA champion gained five shots on Fujita in the final round, which was delayed by thunderstorms on Sunday afternoon with eight holes remaining. When the golfers returned to the par-70, 7,024-yard Newport Country Club on Monday, Fujita's consistency – he hit 38 straight fairways in regulation before the rain delay – had abandoned him.
After both posted 13 under in regulation and matched scores in a two-hole, aggregate playoff and the first hole of sudden death, the golfers returned to the par-4, 466-yard 18th hole for the fourth time of the day. Bland's shot from a greenside bunker caught the pin and settled two inches from the cup; Fujita missed a 25-footer to prolong the tournament, and Bland tapped in to claim his second senior major in as many tries.
"To get this one as well, to go two for two, is beyond my wildest dreams," said Bland, who won the Senior PGA at Harbor Shores last month. "I was just hoping going into the PGA that I was good enough to contend; I hadn't played against these guys. But to be here with two majors – I'm at a loss for words at the moment."
According to the U.S. Golf Association, this was the first time since 2016 the major tournament ended on a Monday.
The fourth round resumed at 8 a.m. Monday after play was halted on Sunday around 3 p.m. due to a forceful storm that brought heavy winds and rain. Play was subsequently suspended for the remainder of the day with only 11 of the 71 players finishing their final round on Sunday.
In an attempt to get ahead of the approaching storm organizers on Saturday shifted Sunday start-times to 8:20 a.m. but a heavy fog still delayed those plans for another two hours.
The USGA said course conditions forced Monday’s ending to be non-ticketed with access to the course limited to credentialed personnel and guests.
Jack Murphy, manager of Coastal Queen Cruises which operated a dedicated ferry between Jamestown and Fort Adams State Park said shuttle service continued to run throughout the storm, which suppressed attendance slightly on Sunday after three days of high ridership.
“It was pretty successful overall. Particularly with the good weather on Saturday,” he said. "And Friday was very active.”
Alex Bandariz volunteered as marshal for the 17th hole, representing Portsmouth-based Green Valley Country Club. He said the event overall was a success.
"Communication and training of the marshals was concise and professional," he said. "While the rain did put a damper on things Sunday, the USGA handled the situation smoothly with evacuating patrons and keeping the volunteers and players safe until the weather subsided."
The total purse was $4 million, including the 66 players that missed the cut each receiving $4,000. Bland took home $800,000.
As one of the five founding members of the USGA, the Newport Country Club hosted the inaugural U.S. Senior Open in 1980. The club also hosted the 1995 U.S. Amateur Open and the 2006 U.S. Women’s Open.
Bristol-born Billy Andrade, who made the weekend cut and finished tied for 31st with an even par through four rounds, on Monday said the historic course “stacked up great.”
“I haven't heard one complaint from one player,” he said. “That's odd. Usually somebody that's not happy.”
Asked his thoughts on whether a major tournament-typically planned years in advance- may return to Newport, Andrade was hopeful.
"I think it would be awesome to come back here,” he said. “I think everyone had a wonderful time.”
Total attendance numbers were not available as of Monday. However the USGA estimates that $250 million in local economic impact is generated annually for host communities through its 14 championships. The 2023 Senior Open, held in Stevens Point, Wisc., attracted approximately 75,000 fans and officials afterwards estimated a $20 million economic boost, according to local media reports.
Organizers earlier this week said the event included more than 1,100 volunteers who came from 34 different states and four separate countries.
A spokesperson for Newport’s Gardiner House hotel on Monday said the inn was booked solid throughout the weekend “with a line out of the door” of travelers searching for a room. Guests included a senior tour player, which they declined to name.
Richard Green shot 71 and finished third, one stroke ahead of Steve Stricker. The 2019 champion and the runner-up in each of the last two years, Stricker shot 66 in each of the first three rounds but turned in a 73 in the fourth, making a bogey on the 72nd hole that dropped him into sole possession of fourth place.
Fujita had at least a share of the lead since shooting 63 in the opening round and he protected it with an unprecedented consistency: He hit 54 of 56 fairways in regulation – the most ever in a U.S. Senior Open. He returned to the course wearing the same-style shirt he had on Thursday, but everything else had changed.
The 5-foot-6 two-time MVP on the Japanese tour hit his very first shot on Monday morning into the rough, making bogeys on three of the first four holes after play resumed. Bland, who started the final round five strokes behind and still trailed by three when they returned after the delay, took the lead with birdies on Nos. 14 and 15 and went to the 72nd hole with a chance to win in regulation.
But he drove his tee shot into a fairway bunker that wouldn't even be in play if not for the stiff wind coming in from the sailing hotbed of Narragansett Bay. He made bogey, and when Fujita finished with a 71 they were were both at 13 under through 72 holes.
"We were chasing him all week. He had the lead pretty much wire-to-wire," Bland said. "I made a great birdie on 15 to go one in front but kind of tripped over myself on the last."
Bland would have more chances at the par-4, 466-yard 18th hole.
Three more, to be precise.
After both men went par-bogey on Nos. 10 and 18 in the two-hole playoff, they went back to the 18th tee; they would keep returning until it was settled. On their fourth hole, Bland put his approach into a greenside bunker but then saved par. Fujita rolled his last chance just inside the coin Bland had placed as a marker.
"I started the day with a three-shot lead. I didn't play my best and got into a playoff," Fujita said. "I definitely still played well, and I put together a good performance. It would have been better if I won. It's a little disappointing I lost. However, I'm proud of myself."
A member of the Saudi-funded LIV tour, Bland didn't win on the European tour until his 478th start, at the age of 48. He only earned a spot in the U.S. Senior Open by winning the Senior PGA Championship at Harbor Shores last month. He only got his spot in that one by winning the 2021 British Masters.
Now he is the third golfer to win his first two starts in senior majors, along with Arnold Palmer and Alex Cejka. He also joins 1995 U.S. Amateur champion Tiger Woods and 2006 U.S. Women's Open winner Annika Sorenstam with a victory at Newport, one of the five founding members of the USGA.
"To be in that bracket, I'm probably doing a little disservice, to be honest with you," Bland said. "To be in that kind of bracket is very, very special and something you can only dream of."
PBN staff writer Christoper Allen contributed to this report.
(UPDATE: More comment added throughout)
