In his 478th start on the European Tour, Richard Bland finally broke into the winner's circle, capturing the 2021 Betfred British Masters, which was part of a three-event European Tour series to determine the top 10 points leaders not previously exempt for the U.S. Open. Bland earned his second consecutive U.S. Open start by being among the top 60 in the Official World Golf Ranking as of May 23. Only Malcolm MacKenzie had played more European Tour events (509) before winning his maiden title. This will be his third U.S. Open start after missing the cut in 2009 at Bethpage State Park's Black Course. Last year, Bland was near the top of the leaderboard after Round 2 at Torrey Pines before finishing T-50. Prior to turning pro, the Englishman won the European Amateur Under 21 title in 1994.