Richard Bland admits he is driving himself to distraction after squandering a great chance of finishing in the top half of the field in the Benson & Hedges International Open at The Belfy yesterday.

At level par and with just three holes left to play, the 29-year-old Stoneham tournament professional was in line for a top 30 finish and the kind of prizemoney he needs to be earning if he is to hold on to European card.

But a pushed drive into the trees down the 16th cost him a bogey, and when he again found the shrubbery down the tough par five 17th, his chance of a much-needed birdie went.

Bland did manage to drive the daunting water hazard which seems to fill the left side of the 18th fairway, but he then found the greenside bunker and another precious shot slipped away.

He finished with a level par 72 for a four-round aggregate of 290 - two over par and no mean effort over a course which had destroyed the likes of Lee Westwood, Darren Clarke and Justin Rose over the first two rounds.

But Bland wasn't happy: "This was typical of the way it's going for me.

"I play three quarters of the course decent and the rest is a struggle. I played 14 good holes on Saturday and finished up with a 74.

"The big problem is off the tee. The club just gets behind me and I hit the ball straight right."

Bland has joined Tim Barter's fast-growing coaching stable at Botley Park after splitting with Martin Butcher, and hopes his new mentor can help sort the problem out when he's in Germany for the Deutsche Bank Open this week.

Bland made a bogey down the first after missing the fairway left to slip back to three over, but by the time he walked off the tenth green he was back to level par.

He put his second into the water down the long third, but then a superb pitch and putt saved par and he capitalised by holing a seven-footer for birdie at the seventh.

Bland rammed the ball down from 40 yards from the back of the eighth green then boldly and brilliantly curled a three-wood onto the green at the infamous 311-yard tenth where most players choose to lay up.

He narrowly missed an his eagle putt but got birdie and was on a charge and just missed two more birdie chances at the 11th and 13th where his putt lipped out.

Bland finished up in a tie for 46th as Argentina's Angel Cabrera took the £183,000 winners cheque with ten under.