Richard Bland is reflecting on “a big step forward”, after finishing an impressive season on the European Tour.

After two years of scrapping to keep his place on golf’s elite circuit, the Stoneham ace faced no such battle this year.

Instead, Bland’s strong and consistent form saw him earn three top-five finishes during 2014, a place in the prestigious Final Series, and a ranking of 67th in the order of merit.

The 41-year-old’s season winnings of €517,385 represented his biggest prize money haul in any single year since turning professional.

There was a tinge of disappointment, though, as Bland just missed out on a top-60 placing in the order of merit that would have secured a spot in this week’s DP world Tour Championship, in Dubai – the showpiece tournament that brings the curtain down on the campaign.

Bland, right, said: “I made a big step forward this year from where I’ve been the last two years, so that’s a big positive.

“But there’s also that little bit of disappointment that I didn’t make Dubai.

“But there are a lot more positives than there are negatives.”

Bland finished his season by competing in two of the Tour’s Final Series events – the BMW Masters, in China, and last week’s Turkish Airlines Open, finishing tied 39th in both.

“It’s great to play in those events,” he said. “If you’re playing in those then it means you’ve had a consistent, good season.”

Bland added: “I’m looking forward to a bit of time off now, but it probably won’t be too much longer until your mind switches over and you start thinking about next year.

“I’m just going to reflect a little bit on this year and think about where I can improve for 2015.”