England’s Richard Bland continued his fine run of recent form by topping the Trophée du Golf Club de Genève leaderboard with an opening round of 65.
Having finished inside the top ten in his last three European Challenge Tour appearances, Bland swiftly got back in the groove at Golf Club de Genève, carding eight birdies and a solitary bogey to lead by one shot from Spain’s Rafael Cabrera Bello and Australia’s Matthew Tampion.
Bland, a close friend of former Southampton star Matt Le Tissier, is full of confidence after finishing third at last week’s Lexus Open and runner-up at the Challenge of Ireland presented by Glasson, and is now determined to add to his solitary Challenge Tour victory, at the 2001 Grand Final.
The 35 year old, who has a wealth of European Tour experience, said: “I’ve been playing pretty well for a couple of months now, and my short game and putting in particular have improved. So even when I don’t find the greens, more often that not I’m still walking away with pars, which is so crucial for your momentum. I’m definitely old enough – and probably stupid enough – to know what works for me now, and what doesn’t. This time I’m really sticking to it, and not straying from the beaten track.
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