Richard Bland got off to a flying start on the latest European Tour with a top-ten finish in the Dunhill Championship in South Africa.
The 34-year-old Southampton golfer was in a five-way tie for ninth place - which meant a sizeable early cheque of 18,300 euros in the 2008 Order Of Merit in his bid to retain the European Tour card he only regained at Final Tour School last month.
Bland, who ran Nick Dougherty close for The Sir Henry Cotton Rookie of the Year award in 2002, opened the tournament with rounds of 69 and 70 to be five under par and in tied third spot.
That meant he was paired with South African legend Ernie Els for the third round, which turned out to be the Southampton player's worst.
See James Rose's golf page in today's Daily Echo
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