Three years ago, Richard Bland could not even comprehend his current reality. Winless at 48, golf was not all sunshine and rainbows for Bland. Until he stepped onto the greens of the Belfry and turned his life around with his first DPWT title at the British Masters in 2021. Three years later, Bland has crowds cheering for him as he arrives as a back-to-back senior major winner to Valderrama. Coincidence? Unlikely. Hard work and perseverance? Definitely.

The success story of Richard Bland started with his 478th start. But with his LIV-wards move, it truly progressed to previously unthinkable heights. The golfer won the Senior PGA Championship, and then US Senior Open, and needless to say, he shocked everyone. Even Richard Bland himself wouldn’t have thought he would walk into Andalucia with six top-10 finishes in the breakaway league to date and a pocketful of senior major glories. But he did, and his homecoming did not go unnoticed by LIV staffers.

Bland walked into the Real Club Valderrama with celebratory “cheering and fanfare from LIV staffers.” But not everyone was satisfied with these cheers from the Greg Norman-led league. No, not Richard Bland. In fact, Bland looked visibly emotional as he high-fived everyone with a bottle of champagne in his hands. It was the fans who took offense at the way this two-time senior major winner was received. The scenes were similar to that of what happened when Bryson DeChambeau reached Nashville after his US Open victory, and fans found it to be somewhat fake.

Despite Richard Bland’s heartwarming back-to-back victories, the fans did not let LIV Golf get off the hook. Many fans were concerned about this “exhibition league’s” seemingly failed attempt at giving Bland the welcome he deserved. So what did the fans exactly have to say?

Not everyone was impressed by LIV Golf’s congratulatory cheers for Richard Bland

LIV staffers’ congratulatory act was not dubbed as quite as wholesome as they intended. There seemed to be a consensus among fans that the vibe it gave off was “corny” and “cringe“. One fan even wrote, “This looks super staged and corny.”  Another fan added, “Wow this is cringe.” Netizens called DeChambeau’s victory celebrations PR manufactured too when he reached Nashville and dedicated the win to LIV Golf. The welcome of major champions at the Saudi league does not seem to be sitting well with the general golf world, it seems.

Another fan’s critique was focused on the fewer numbers of cheerleaders that were made available to Richard Bland. After all, winning two senior majors is not easy. And neither should the celebration be. The perplexed fan wrote, “What is there like 10 people cheering? Lol.” Another fan wrote, “Bland knows how stupid this is, what a bunch of mor**s,” This was a common emotion among fans as they joined forces to critique the breakaway league’s party methods. When the 2x US Open winner was welcomed, the crowd was much bigger. There were even party poppers for him, and the crowd kept on cheering loudly as he got out of the car holding his trophy. The golfer fist-bumped everyone with sheer happiness.

One of the X users went so far as to term the festivities “a hostage video.” Using humor to express their take, they wrote, “Like a hostage video – ask the employees to blink once if they are OK.” Another fan jumped the bandwagon and remarked, “Man, this is like a cult,” questioning the seemingly rehearsed manner in which the fans acted. LIV Golf has been called many thing by many people since its inception but being called a cult might be the league’s first.

The internet was at odds with LIV Golf’s party antics to congratulate Richard Bland’s late blossoming. What do you think? Were the congratulatory cheers close to where they should have been?