Richard Bland faces a battle to make the cut at Wentworth tomorrow after an opening round of three-over, but he remains confident he can turn things around.

The Stoneham-based pro endured a tough start to the BMW PGA Championship, having to fight through heavy rain and two weather delays at the Surrey course.

Despite little going his way all afternoon, Bland managed to finish on a positive note, making birdie at the last.

His aim today is to get himself below par and ensure that he still has a chance to achieve something over the weekend.

“It was a strange day,” said the 41-year-old, whose day eventually finished more than seven hours after his tee time.

“I thought I actually struck the ball quite well.

“I hit some good shots and didn’t get a lot for it, and if I hit a poor one I got punished for it, which is fair enough.

“It was a long day. It was hard to get any rhythm going. It was tough, it wasn’t easy.

“I’ve just got to try and come out and try and get off to a good start and try to get it under-par.

“If I can get it to under-par for the tournament then that will be all right. I’m hitting it well enough to do it.

“I’ve just got to play the par-fives a little bit better.

“I was in good position on all of them and only played them in one-under. That’s a little bit disappointing – they’re key round here.”