pga tour block

Michael Block’s PGA Championship return may have legs: ‘I can do well’

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LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Michael Block is back at the tournament where he went from anonymous club pro to national celebrity 12 months ago after making the cut and entering the final round of the PGA Championship six strokes off the lead. And though his title quest ultimately fell short, it was not without some aw-shucks humility that endeared him to lovers of golf and feel-good stories everywhere.

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Some thought his flirtation with fame would end after 15 minutes, but it is now in its 13th month. If that sounds crazy, here’s something even wilder — it could well be prepping for an even longer run.

This week’s PGA Championship is being held at Valhalla Golf Club , where Block’s comfort level is a 12 on a scale of 1-to-10. He not only played the 2014 PGA Championship here but tied the club’s decades-old course record by shooting a 63 during a practice round for this year’s tournament in August.

“I know the course well,” he said last week. “It fits my eye off the tee. The greens, I can see the reads. And I love the grass around the greens for chipping. So when you combine all those things, all of a sudden I can do something. And the best part about a major championship is that I don’t have to go shoot 63s and 64s. I just need to go shoot par, maybe a couple under here and there, and I can do well.”

If this sounds like bold talk from a public-course club pro who failed to make the cut in seven majors appearances before last year, so be it. Golf is in need of some spice. This season has been largely bland and uneventful, thanks in part to the paint-by-numbers precision of Scottie Scheffler. So if a 47-year-old who is as good with self-deprecation as he is with short irons can liven things up, bring it on.

Block captivated the golf world last spring with his improbable and inspiring run at Oak Hill. He may not have won the tournament, but he was the People’s Champion. Fans roared after each of his successes in Rochester, N.Y., the loudest coming on the back nine on Sunday when he dunked his tee shot on No. 15 while paired with future Hall of Famer Rory McIlroy.

“Rory, did it go in?” he asked.

A hole-in-one for the PGA Professional Michael Block! 💥 This fairytale story from last year's #PGAChamp still gives us chills. pic.twitter.com/vy1Fl8VY5R — Golf on CBS ⛳ (@GolfonCBS) May 13, 2024

As the crowd chanted his name, he appeared to soak in every moment, at times while wearing a disbelieving smile. Moments like these don’t come along often for players of his pedigree, so he wanted to savor it in real time. He failed to realize how much those four days would change his life, and for how long.

Suddenly, he was getting texts from Michael Jordan, lunching at the home of DJ Khaled, and FaceTiming with Mark Wahlberg. Block received an ESPY nomination and was invited to Tiger Woods’ charity invitational.

“It’s been a lifetime dream,” he said. “Every day I wake up it’s like one of those days. I’m not kidding. Legitimately, I wake up every day and I go, ‘Oh man. That was a dream.’ And every day it’s like, Holy crap. No, Mike. That wasn’t a dream, and I keep on going. Like today, I wake up and all of a sudden I’m in Miami Beach where I’ve never been before until this year, and I’m playing golf with Todd Graves, the owner of Raising Cane’s Chicken Fingers, my sponsor, and Tua Tagovailoa and Jalen Ramsey, the Miami Dolphins stars. And it’s on a great course. That’s how my life has been for a straight year, which, for me, a guy who grew up in St. Louis and Iowa — this stuff just didn’t happen. So it’s been a very strange experience.”

Some wonder if this is false humility. Is Block simply milking the public for all it has, erasing the expiration date on his 15 minutes of fame? Al Szymanski was one of them. He directed the “One Moment in Time” documentary on Block that first aired last weekend on CBS. During multiple days at Block’s home and work (Arroyo Trabuco Golf Club in Mission Viejo, Calif.), he searched for cracks in Block’s public persona.

“This is a guy who got smacked in the face like no one else I can think of with instant fame and eyeballs, and you can go one of two ways off that,” Szymanski said. “You’re either going to keep the dirt on your boots and be who you were, or you’re going to become ostentatiously self-important. The first time I got on the phone with him, he said the magic word. He said, ‘dude.’ I’m not a fan of “The Big Lebowski” — good movie — but that’s my kind of speak. He’s a normal guy. You could tell by his demeanor with the staff and the people who were around in these non-programmed moments where you pass in the hall and you see a kitchen worker and that natural smile and interaction — you could see a guy who was pretty genuine.”

This may just be who Block is, a sincerely good dude who is enjoying the moment, grateful for the opportunities that golf has presented him. Some will never fully accept that; they will look at him sideways as if he’s laying it on too thick and argue that it’s time for him to slip back into the shadows. Maybe that will happen this week. However, one thing is certain: Block will be at peace either way.

“I’ve got the PGA and then I’ve got the Colonial; I don’t have anything guaranteed after that,” he said. “If I play bad in these two tournaments, it could be the end of the line for this insaneness that I’ve been through.  But my other life is wonderful. I love the life that I normally have. Even if for some reason this journey ends, and I know at some point it has to, I absolutely love the life I had prior to it, so I’ve got zero problems with it.”

(Photo: Ross Kinnaird / Getty Images)

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Jim Trotter is a national columnist for The Athletic based in San Diego. He previously worked for NFL Media, ESPN, Sports Illustrated and The San Diego Union-Tribune. A proud graduate of Howard University, he is a Pro Football Hall of Fame voter and a former president of Pro Football Writers of America. He has authored two books, including “Junior Seau: The Life and Death of a Football Icon,” and is a regular fill-in guest host on “Brother From Another” on Peacock TV. Follow Jim on Twitter @ JimTrotter_NFL

Michael Block records hole-in-one, qualifies for 2024 PGA Championship: How the club pro made history

Club pro Michael Block recorded a hole-in-one on the 15th hole at the PGA Championship during his final round Sunday. Here’s what you need to know:

• Block entered Sunday at even par playing with Rory McIlroy.
• Going to the 15th tee, Block was 2 over for the tournament.
• Block’s hole-in-one brought him back to even par.
• Block finished with a final-round 71. Because he finished T15, Block qualified for the 2024 PGA Championship.

Michael Block dunked it so hard he broke the hole. pic.twitter.com/xFjsrN108W — Chris Vannini (@ChrisVannini) May 21, 2023

UNBELIEVABLE! MICHAEL BLOCK JUST DUNKED A HOLE-IN-ONE! pic.twitter.com/Qin8FYXFQV — PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) May 21, 2023

The Athletic ’s instant analysis:

Block puts together historic tournament

The beauty and absurdity of Block’s historic weekend doesn’t lie in his final score or any one moment. It comes from the fact he did it day after day. Shooting even par 70 on Day 1 was an incredible story on its own. Doing it again Friday made it historic, even earning the top story treatment at The Athletic . But now, to look back and realize he shot 71 or better all four days at Oak Hill on a week only 10 golfers finished under par, what Block achieved is something even more memorable.

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Because this wasn’t just some wild, impressive round. Block played like he belonged. And he did it all four days.

But what takes this story to another level is that Block’s T15 finish means he qualifies for the 2024 PGA Championship as well, as the top 15 and ties automatically qualify for next year’s tournament. He’ll get to try to do it again. And he reached that finish thanks to a remarkable hole-in-one on 15 that went straight into the hole without needing to touch the green. The memory of a shocked Block having to ask his playing partner McIlroy, “Rory, did that go in?” may be the lasting moment of the weekend.

Block didn’t drive it very far, and his short-game numbers were the worst of anyone in the top 15. Yet he consistently struck the ball well to reach greens in regulation, and he gained 1.36 strokes putting compared to the field, per DataGolf.com. Block earned the third-best finish by a club professional in a major, with the other two taking place 40 years ago. And he earned it. — Miller

Block, 46, has played in 24 PGA Tour events over his career. He’s competing in his seventh major (fifth PGA, two U.S. Opens). This year’s PGA Championship is the first cut made at a major in his career.

Block shot three consecutive rounds of 70 coming into Sunday. No club pro has finished in the top 10 in the history of the PGA Championship.

Block is one of 20 club professionals who played in the PGA Championship this week.

Required reading

• Michael Block didn’t chase pro golf. Now he’s beating the best at the PGA Championship

(Photo: Michael Reaves / Getty Images)

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PGA Championship

Valhalla Golf Club

PGA Championship 2024: Michael Block on his 'Year of Blockie' and what happens when your 15 minutes of fame are up

Michael Block reacts after his shot from the 15th tee during the third round of the 2023 PGA Championship.

Kevin C. Cox

Michael Block has snuck into his office and he reminds himself to shut the door. This is his home, a room tucked away in the ranch-style clubhouse surrounded by the rolling foothills of Southern California. But Block prefers an open entryway so he can keep an eye on the assistants running Arroyo Trabuco Golf Club’s pro shop, to say hello to those checking in and to deliver a good-natured jab to the regulars. Yet Block has to be hidden now, after the “photo requests and autographs and conversations” made it impossible for the staff to get any work done. He’s uncomfortable being sequestered from “my guys,” but the door must remain closed.

That Block is rarely here makes the isolation harder. He rushed back from Frisco, Texas, where he competed at the Club Pro Championship, to be at Arroyo Trabuco’s two-day member-guest. It will be the only two days he’s at the club this month. He’ll get a week of practice and preparation before heading to Louisville for the PGA Championship, followed by a return to Texas for the PGA Tour’s Charles Schwab Challenge at Colonial, which he will play for the second straight season on a sponsor exemption. As Block recounts his itinerary he realizes, with a mix of incredulity and resignation, it’s been a year since he’s given a teaching lesson. Chasing a dream has made home a foreign place.

“It's been the best year of my life, and I wouldn’t change one thing about it. But it's very, very strange,” Block says. “To go from a nobody, a husband and father of two, then all of a sudden the golf’s world's watching every move I make, just the whole thing's been very odd.”

It was this time last May that Block captivated the golf world, the 46-year-old public course club pro with a friendly demeanor and self-deprecating humor contending at Oak Hill during the 2023 PGA Championship while winning over the crowds in Rochester and those watching from home. On a macro level there was something palliative about Block’s Cinderella success against the backdrop of the prevalent greed, entitlement and self-interest from professional golf’s civil war. In a micro sense, it was endearing to see a man have the time of his life in a moment he thought would never come.

This wonder crescendoed on Sunday, when Block, paired with Rory McIlroy, made a slam-dunk hole-in-one late on the back nine, a shot that left Block seemingly feigning disbelief as the gallery chanted his name. He made a nifty up-and-down for par at the final hole to finish tied for 15th, earning an invite into this year's PGA.

The “Block Party” was one of the feel-good stories of the year. Then the damndest thing happened. The party continued. Much, much longer than anyone—including Block—could expect.

Michael Block, who was the low PGA professional, is congratulated by 2023 PGA Championship winner Brooks Koepka at Oak Hill.

Ross Kinnaird

Block received two PGA Tour sponsor exemptions in the ensuing three weeks, with one of his rounds at Colonial receiving featured group coverage, and was given an invite into the Australian Open. After failing to qualify for the U.S. Open he was on the grounds of Los Angeles Country Club anyway, promoting Dewar’s Scotch whisky. There were countless other promotional events, including a hole-in-one challenge with Michelob and working a drive-thru shift at Raising Cane's Chicken Fingers restaurant. He was invited to Tiger Woods’ charity invitational, rubbed shoulders with Brooks Koepka, Max Homa and Bubba Watson. He still competed in his local PGA competitions—including winning the Southern California PGA Professional Championship—but he also became a fixture on the celebrity circuit. The 46-year-old “nobody” was suddenly receiving texts from Michael Jordan and hanging out with Hollywood stars.

“I literally spent a year living a dream, feeling like I just woke up from a dream. I'm like, no, I was just on FaceTime with [actor] Mark Wahlberg sitting next to [rapper] DJ Khaled having lunch in his backyard,” Block says. “And it makes no sense to me. But at the same time I've been going with it. One of the things that Khaled told me while sitting in his backyard was, ‘This is your year Blockie and don't say no to anything.’”

This guiding principle spurred a Block backlash of sorts. Inaccessibility to professional athletes has been a growing problem in sports, yet Block was perhaps too available. He did 30 interviews between Sunday at Oak Hill and a press conference two days later at Colonial, and he’s lost count of how many podcasts, interviews and videos he’s done since. A lot of those platforms aided Block’s popularity, amplifying his story and persona to a public that mostly couldn’t get enough. In that same breath, Block’s willingness to partake in the hagiography of his life could be construed as thirsty. This culture loves celebrities, but it doesn’t want its celebrities to want celebrity.

Provoking that agitation was Block’s response to a podcast host's question about the biggest difference between his game and Rory McIlroy’s. Block responded, “Oh my God. What I would shoot from where Rory hits it would be stupid. I think I'd be one of the best players in the world. Hands down. If I had that stupid length, all day. My iron game, wedge game, around the greens and my putting is world class.”

Never mind this is exactly the type of conviction needed by any golfer, let alone a club pro contending at a major championship. Block’s words were seen as cavalier and brash , sentiments that while celebrated in other sports are considered cardinal sins in golf.

Not helping was Block’s performance. He finished dead last the week after Oak Hill at the Charles Schwab Challenge and didn’t do much better at the RBC Canadian Open. In fact, of the eight PGA Tour starts Block made the past two seasons, Oak Hill was the only one where he made the cut. Without the game to back his story up, Block went from a scene stealer to side show. The line is thin and the standards are harsh, but that is the reality.

He was enjoying the spoils of his newfound stardom, but Block admits the negative reaction got to him.

“The hate part of it, the social media part got us nasty, man,” Block says. “I'm sure some people talk trash behind my back in my life, but I'm literally seeing people that hate me and I'm going, ‘What in the world did I ever do to this human being?’ I didn’t understand it. That was definitely the toughest part.

“I was trying to defend myself and trying to be like, ‘Hey, you don't know me.’ I remember I saw someone say, ‘I heard Michael doesn’t treat club pros well.’ Bro, I’m a club pro, what are you talking about? People just hate people just to do it and just to get likes and all this other stuff. So I understand that's what just kind of comes around with the territory in this world.”

After his PGA Championship performance, Michael Block got numerous opportunities to play in pro events, and tried to qualify for the Open Championship.

Mark Runnacles/R&A

It’s worth remembering how unchartered this territory was for Block. He didn’t become a PGA member until 35 years old, too busy trying to get Arroyo Trabuco off the ground in the early-to-mid Aughts to worry about playing against fellow club pros and the opportunities that come with it. Eventually the Arroyo Trabuco regulars, who played against Block in a Tuesday morning money game, pushed him to get his PGA license to compete, and in his first year he won the PGA’s Professional Championship. Even before Oak Hill, Block had become something of a SoCal PGA legend; he’s won his district’s Player of the Year honor in 10 of the last 11 years. Still, the expanse between who he was to what he had become was wide, and he had to make that tightrope walk where every misstep was now noted.

If Block’s sensitive about the criticism, it’s because he’s a people-pleaser. It’s what got him into the club pro business. He loves being social, and loves that it’s his job to help make others happy. It’s why Block acted like such a showman in Rochester (although, he would like to add, he truly didn’t know he made that hole-in-one with Rory). Fans enjoy when he hams it up, and frankly, he does, too.

“I've noticed that I love the crowd,” Block says with a laugh, when answering what he’s learned about himself. “I really do. They really inspire me to hit better shots. I really love making putts, whether it's for a birdie part or bogey, I don't care. Just to have the crowd roar and to cheer for me, what a rush.”

And who could blame him? He was a regular guy being treated like royalty, so you’re damn right he was going to say “yes” to every opportunity. That many came with financial benefits didn’t hurt, but in truth, Block says he knew how ridiculous all this was, and also understood it had a shelf life. He didn’t want to view this once-in-a-lifetime stretch with regret.

Block gets that next week the "Year of Blockie" will likely conclude at Valhalla. What happened last spring hasn’t bestowed fantastical aspirations of winning the Wanamaker. Block simply wants to make the cut, and considering he owns a share of the Valhalla course record, he likes his chances. However, the Block Party’s one-year anniversary has allowed him to look through the window of the past. Block says he has watched the highlights from his final round at Oak Hill; when he ultimately returned to California, Escalade gifted him a car to use for the rest of the year (the company had a suite right next to his ace at the 15th), and preloaded on a TV headrest the broadcast from Rochester.

“It was surreal,” Block says. “I’m sitting in an SUV watching myself on television. Like, come on .” He also doesn’t need to watch it again.

“It’s imprinted in my head,” Block says. “I can’t tell you what I did yesterday. But I can tell you every shot, every interaction, every minute of that experience. I still remembering going into the merchandise tent early Saturday and there’s a huge reaction to me being there. Or at night, when me and my friends are having wine and beer and running up the largest bill I’ve ever seen, and some stranger took care of it for us. I remember everything, because I didn’t want it to end.”

The one thing that sticks out the most is a scene that happened across the country from Arroyo Trabuco’s clubhouse, moments after Block made his hole-in-one. That’s where Block’s family was, including his mom and dad and his sons. After the ace, the owner of the course jumped on a table and bought a round for everyone.

“Man, I started crying when I saw that watch party,” Block says. ‘I had no idea that watch party was happening when I played on that Sunday. When I got back, you know, all the servers, the line cooks, everyone in the restaurant was just like, you can tell that they look at me differently now 'cause they've seen me on the TV and watching that stuff.”

Now 47, Block never wanted to be staring down a six-footer to pay for his mortgage, and he’s not obtuse to his playing results post-Oak Hill. He’s wary of the road. He wants to be with his family, especially as his sons are becoming serious golfers. He’s looking forward to Valhalla where “I promise to take as many autographs and photos to anyone that asks,” Block says, “and to thank everyone for what they’ve given to me over the past year.”

But he knows who he is and where he belongs. Michael Block wants to be home, preferably with the door open.

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‘Why Not?’: Meet Michael Block, the Club Pro Realizing a Dream at PGA Championship

• Author: Gabrielle Herzig

ROCHESTER, N.Y. — “Why Not?”

Those are the two words that are stamped on Michael Block’s golf balls this week in capital letters, and they’re also the two words that have carried him to back-to-back rounds of 70 at the PGA Championship .

The 46-year-old, who works as the head professional at Arroyo Trabuco Golf Club in Mission Viejo, Calif., and hits one bucket of balls per week—at most—sat in a tie for 10th place when he walked off his last hole at Oak Hill Country Club.

He charges $125 for a 45-minute lesson and $500 for a nine-hole session, but now that Block has made his first PGA Championship cut he’ll leave with a check around $25,000 at the very least.

Block has kept his head down for two straight rounds. Hitting fairways, rolling putts and talking to his caddie, John Jackson—a full-time looper at Pebble Beach—about everything besides the golf.

“We’re talking about where we’re going to have dinner, what type of beer we’re going to have after the round,” Jackson says. “I’m definitely going with an IPA.”

That’s why on Friday, following his round, Block mused about drawing pairings with Jon Rahm or Rory McIlroy , completely oblivious to the fact that Rahm shot 6 over in his opening round and the chances of the two being paired were slim to none.

“Who knows who I'm paired with, right, tomorrow? If I'm paired with Jon Rahm or Rory or—I have no idea how these guys are doing. I have not looked at the leaderboard. I don't know who is going to make the cut or who I'm going to be paired with,” he said.

Block seemed to be holding in emotions for some time. He came off the course to a horde of media awaiting his comment—mostly seeking explanation for the cold shank he hit on No. 5 —but when he discovered his standing against Rahm, it all came pouring out.

“Pretty cool, to say the least. Yeah. I wish you guys could come to my office and hang out with me and come teach with me on the back of the driving range with my students who are out there right now. [choking up] Yeah—sorry. I don't know why that makes me emotional, but it does. Sorry, Jon,” Block said, taking lengthy pauses in between forming words. “Yeah, no, I don't know who I beat, who I didn't beat. I'm going to go out there and do my best and put my head down and play as well as I can for the next two days.”

As a teaching professional, Block might not have the time to grind on the driving range and hit the weight room like the world-class players that he’s going shoulder-to-shoulder with this week, but he’s done this before. Block qualified for his fifth PGA Championship this year by finishing T2 in the 2023 PGA Professional Championship, which he’s played in nine consecutive seasons.

“He’s a stick,” Jackson says. “This isn’t an anomaly. He’s a great player.”

Block also qualified for the 2007 and 2018 U.S. Opens and has teed it up in more than 20 PGA Tour events, with four made cuts. Despite the extensive resume, however, everything seems to be coming to a head for the St. Louis native this week in Rochester.

“He’s got a great life, he’s got a great family, he knows how lucky he is. He’s got a very positive outlook on everything that’s happened. Just taking it in and enjoying every moment. It’s not really outcome-based, we’re just enjoying it and letting it ride and having a good time,” Jackson says.

As mentioned above, Block’s rounds of 70 weren’t necessarily as pretty as he would have liked. On the 5th hole on Friday (his 14th), Block hit a dead shank with his 8-iron that ricocheted off of a tree and “almost killed somebody.” He made a double-bogey 5.

It’s difficult to find the center of a clubface after that kind of error, let alone make four consecutive pars coming in, but that’s exactly what Block did.

The blunder was embarrassing, to say the least, but Block graciously broke down the nightmarish shot after his round, multiple times. When he heard that Dustin Johnson also hit a shank during his round on Friday, it made him “feel a little better.”

Block even gave an anti-shank lesson in the media tent when asked what he’d tell his students back home after such a shot.

“What I like to do is set up to the golf ball and swing and hit the ground on the inside of the golf ball. Like not even hit the ball on practice swings. Just take it, hit inside the golf ball a couple of times to feel that space and to get the hands in tight. If you watch a lot of the best players in the world, their hands are extremely close to their body at the moment of impact. A lot of the worst players in the world, their hands are far away from their body at the moment of impact. That's the difference.

“I'm trying to feel a draw, my hands—I'm trying to get it more out to the right and work it to the left. I overdid it, but it is what it is. I'm going—in my head I'm going, you have got to be kidding me right now. I've been flushing it all day. Last couple days the driving range has been like a video game. I see that, and I'm, like, oh, here it comes (laughing),” Block said.

The answer said it all: Block lives and breathes this game, just like the 28,000 club pros around the country. He spoke to the media just like he’d banter with his assistant pros back in SoCal until sundown. He joked about stocking his pro shop with orange hoodies—his Friday scripting—after the round (they already have every other colorway available).

Block’s name might be sandwiched between the best ball strikers in the world today, but when all is said and done this week, he’ll head back to the Arroyo Trabuco driving range: home.

“I'm one of them,” Block said. “100 percent, I'm just your local club pro.”

Michael Block

Corebridge Financial Team

PGA Head Golf Professional at Arroyo Trabuco Golf Club…Appearing in his sixth PGA Championship...Shot 70-70-70-71 (1-over 281) to finish T-15 in the 2023 PGA Championship at Oak Hill...Recorded a final-round ace on the 151-yard, par-3 15th...His 2018 PGA Championship appearance at Bellerive came in his hometown of St. Louis...Won the PGA Professional Championship in his 2014 debut following a two-hole playoff with Jamie Broce in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina...Finished T-2 at the 2023 PGA Professional Championship…Winner, 2023 and '22 PGA Professional Player of the Year; Southern California PGA Player of the Year for the 10th time (2013, '14, '15, '16, '18, '19, '20, '21, '22, '23); 2023, '22, '18, '17 Southern California PGA Professional Championship; 2023, '21, '17, '13 Southern California PGA Match Play Championship; 2019 Southern California PGA Stroke Play Classic; 2001 California State Open...Played for the U.S. Team at the 2022 PGA Cup in Surrey, England...Rallied from a four-hole deficit in the opening singles match on the final day to earn a crucial point and help the U.S. win its first overseas PGA Cup since 2009...Member of the 2015 U.S. PGA Cup Team (3-1-0 record)...Qualified for the 2007 (Oakmont) and 2018 (Shinnecock Hills) U.S. Opens...in 2007, made a 22-foot birdie putt on the first hole of a Sectional playoff...Has played in 30 PGA TOUR events including the 2024 and '23 The American Express and Farmers Insurance Open, 2023 Charles Schwab Challenge, RBC Canadian Open and World Wide Technology Championship...He has imprinted on his TaylorMade golf balls the words, "WHY NOT?"

Previous Performances

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After missing the cut at Colonial, Michael Block bids the PGA Tour farewell — for now

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Michael Block missed the cut at the 2023 Charles Schwab Challenge with rounds of 81-74.

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Michael Block is finally heading back to his home in Orange County, Calif. — nearly a week after he was originally scheduled to return.

Fate had other plans in mind for Block, the 46-year-old club pro hero who did the unthinkable at the PGA Championship, outplaying dozens of the world’s best players to finish T15, thereby earning an automatic berth into next year’s PGA at Valhalla.

But it was Block’s everyman relatability that made him a superstar . He’s a working man, with a day job as a pro at Arroyo Trabuco in Southern California. He liked to relax with an IPA in hand. And though he was confident in his playing ability, he simply couldn’t believe the position he ended up in at Oak Hill, tearing up during interviews, getting congratulatory belly pats from Rory McIlroy, engaging in bro-chat with Brooks Koepka (“Heard you’re buying drinks,” Koepka said after clinching his victory, referring to Block’s 15th-hole ace ). Block even received a text from Michael Jordan .

The deluge of attention led to Block being invited to not one but two PGA Tour events, this week’s Charles Schwab Challenge and next month’s RBC Canadian Open. He was picked up by super-agency WME sports and sported a new Raising Cane’s logo on his sleeve.

But after all of that hype, it was time to to play golf again. Instead of flying under the radar, as Block did for a brief time at Oak Hill, the spotlight was on. The weight of it all seemed suddenly obvious, as Block struggled to an opening-round 81 , complete with three double-bogeys on his final four holes. Still, Block retained the borderline-irrational optimism that many pro athletes seem to possess.

Feeling Michael Block fatigue? The players aren’t. He has them feeling wistful

“I’ve shot 58, and I’ve shot a 59 in my life, and since what I had today, I wouldn’t be surprised if I did it,” he said on Thursday. “So if I do, cool. If not, I’ll be seeing my kids and my wife tomorrow night in Orange County, California.”

A 59 obviously wasn’t in the cards for Block on Friday, but he did improve significantly from Thursday’s debacle, with a round of four-over 74.

“I have no legs,” Block confessed on Friday. “I was scheduled to fly out at 10:00 a.m. last Saturday. So if that gives you any confidence on how much I had of making the cut at the PGA Championship. My whole family, everybody, everyone that even came out to watch me last weekend was scheduled to go out on Saturday. So to say the least, for me to finish 15th and make the cut and be there on Sunday and for whatever happened happened is insane because we were all going home Saturday morning, and that didn’t happen obviously. Life changed a little bit since then, and I’ve enjoyed every single moment.

“I just want to say thank you.”

Though Block’s whirlwind PGA Tour journey comes to a close this week, fans can still look forward to seeing him tee it up again soon. The RBC Canadian Open is less than two weeks away, and Block is already salivating at the chance to have another shot on Tour.

“I can’t wait for Canada, to tell you the truth,” he said. “I cannot wait.”

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As a four-year member of Columbia’s inaugural class of female varsity golfers, Jessica can out-birdie everyone on the masthead. She can out-hustle them in the office, too, where she’s primarily responsible for producing both print and online features, and overseeing major special projects, such as GOLF’s inaugural Style Is­sue, which debuted in February 2018. Her origi­nal interview series, “A Round With,” debuted in November of 2015, and appeared in both in the magazine and in video form on GOLF.com.

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WATCH: Club pro Michael Block dunks hole-in-one for all-time PGA Championship moment with fairytale ending

Block's storybook week at the 2023 pga championship wrapped with an all-time ace and memorable up-and-down.

As if Michael Block's fairytale week could not be any more storybook, the PGA Professional on Sunday delivered an pair of all-time PGA Championship moments. Playing alongside world No. 3 Rory McIlroy in the final round at Oak Hill Country Club, the 46-year-old slam dunked his tee shot on the par-3 15th for a hole-in-one.

Block's first career hole-in-one in competition propelled him to a memorable finish that ultimately resulted with him placing inside the top 15 on the leaderboard and therefore securing a spot in the field for the 2024 PGA Championship at Valhalla. (Block also received a special exemption to next week's Charles Schwab Challenge.)

"I've never made a hole-in-one in a tournament in my entire life," Block told CBS Sports' Amanda Balionis. "To make it at that time on hole 15 with the crowd and everyone there and the support I've had from the Rochester fans was probably the most surreal moment I'll ever have in my life. And I definitely enjoyed it."

Arriving at the hole 2 over for the championship and his fourth round, the club pro from Southern California gave the raucous Rochester faithful even more to get rowdy about. It could not have come at a better time for Block, who was soaking in every moment while simultaneously competing for that future exemption.

Block's ace was the only hole-in-one at the 2023 PGA Championship this week. In fact, it's the only one that's transpired at the event since 2020.

MICHAEL BLOCK! HOLE-IN-ONE! pic.twitter.com/AGckvo8F7B — Golf on CBS ⛳ (@GolfonCBS) May 21, 2023

"That didn't go in, did it?!" Block asked McIlroy and his caddie simultaneously in true disbelief. "No. No. No way. No way. Rory, did it go in?!"

Yes, it sure did, Michael.

"Couldn't really see it. I knew it was at the pin but had no idea that it went in," recalled Block. "… Rory comes over to me and gives me a hug. I'm like, 'Why is Rory giving me a hug for getting close?' That's kind of weird, but I was cool with it. So, I walk down about 20-30 yards and look back at him, like, 'Did that go in the hole?' … And the next thing I know, it did."

"Ready for this one?" Michael Block marks his ace. pic.twitter.com/wUPR4dfWCK — Golf on CBS ⛳ (@GolfonCBS) May 21, 2023

Block's hole-in-one, a 7-iron from 151 yards out, is the first by a club pro at the PGA Championship since George Bowman in 1996. More importantly, it got Block back to even par and inside the top 15. 

When walking off the green after picking up his ball from the broken cup, Block turned to his caddie and simply exclaimed, "Are you kidding me?!"

The ace may have been the shot of the championship, but the moment of the week came three holes later on the 18th green.

After a bogey on the 16th, Block needed to get up-and-down for par on the 72nd hole to remain inside the top 15. Unfortunately, his approach landed well into the gallery, creating an unlikely scenario for him to accomplish his goal.

Yet the magic continued for Block, who nipped a beautiful pitch and converted an all-world par save to get in the house at 1 over in a three-way tie for 15th at the PGA Championship. 

Magic. Michael Block qualifies for the 2024 PGA Championship with a top-15 finish. pic.twitter.com/s02sHfwlbM — Golf on CBS ⛳ (@GolfonCBS) May 21, 2023

With that, Block earned his way to Valhalla. Talk about living happily ever after.

How cool is this? pic.twitter.com/pOtyeIlyK6 — Golf on CBS ⛳ (@GolfonCBS) May 21, 2023

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Club pro michael block receives pga tour exemption after dazzling fans at 2023 pga championship, share this article.

If you want a little more Michael Block in your life, fear not, he’s not going back to his club pro day job just yet.

After dazzling fans on the weekend – including an ace during Sunday’s final round – and finishing as the low professional at the 2023 PGA Championship at Oak Hill Country Club in Rochester, New York, Block is taking his talents to the PGA Tour.

The 46-year-old who teaches at Arroyo Trabuco Golf Club in Mission Viejo, California, received a sponsor exemption into next week’s Charles Schwab Challenge, May 25-28, at Colonial Country Club in Fort Worth, Texas.

While Michael Block’s 2023 #PGAChamp chapter has come to an end, his story is just getting started. He’ll be at Colonial Country Club next week for the Charles Schwab Challenge. pic.twitter.com/vfdkTjmb2v — PGA Championship (@PGAChampionship) May 21, 2023

Block shot a 1-over 71 in the final round to finish T-15 at 1 over for the tournament and punch his ticket to next year’s PGA Championship at Valhalla Golf Club in Louisville, Kentucky.

The Block Party is raging on for at least another week.

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PGA Championship: Who is Michael Block? Introducing the club pro in contention at Oak Hill

Michael Block, a 46-year-old club professional based in California, carded back-to-back 70s to moved into contention at the PGA Championship; Watch him throughout the weekend at Oak Hill live on Sky Sports Golf

By Ali Stafford at Oak Hill

Friday 19 May 2023 18:21, UK

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As the world’s best battled to make the cut at the PGA Championship, a veteran professional who charges $125 for a lesson was creating his own Cinderella story at Oak Hill.

Club pro Michael Block will be an unfamiliar name to many, with the reigning PGA Professional Player of the Year one of 20 members of the Corebridge Financial PGA Team who qualified for the second major of the year.

Few would have expected Block to make it through to the weekend, given he has missed the cut in all six previous major appearances, although the American always backed himself to put together a strong performance in Rochester.

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"I was expecting that," Block said after his opening-round 70 on Thursday. "My goal was even par. I feel like I can shoot even par at pretty much any course in the world. A big goal of mine this week is to be on the 18th green on Sunday receiving the low club professional with the champion of the tournament.

The 46-year-old's total left him closer to the leader than multiple major winners including Rory McIlroy, defending champion Justin Thomas and world No 1 Jon Rahm, before he charged up the leaderboard with a brilliant display in windy conditions on Friday morning.

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Block birdied three of his opening five holes in the second round and was in a share of second with six holes remaining, with the American well-placed heading into the weekend after recovering from dropping three shots in two holes to salvage a second successive 70.

"I feel like I've got the game this week to compete, to tell you the truth," Block said. "I've made the cut, which is obviously, like I told you, a huge goal. I feel like I could shoot even par out here every day. I feel like at the end of the four days that that might be a pretty good result."

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Block's Friday to remember

Beginning on the back nine, Block rolled in an eight-foot birdie at the 10th and holed from a similar distance to scramble a par at the next before firing his approach to tap-in range at the 12th.

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Block converted from 12 feet at the 14th and cancelled out a bogey at the 17th by birdieing the par-four first, although missed a 10-foot opportunity at the next to move alongside overnight clubhouse leader Bryson DeChambeau.

The 46-year-old failed to get up and down to save par from the greenside bunker at the par-five fourth, then unravelled further when a shank off the next tee only avoided going out of bounds after coming off a tree.

Block eventually carded a double-bogey five to slip back to level par, although responded well to par each of his final four holes in conditions where many of the morning wave struggled.

"I've already been in contention, so I feel good about it," Block said. "I was rolling around, I believe, in second place for quite a while. I was actually very comfortable. Honestly, the couple bad shots I hit had nothing to do with where I was at that time.

Are you not entertained? https://t.co/SSbaaJmmbE pic.twitter.com/7E2UowsTeg — PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) May 19, 2023

"If I'm paired with Jon Rahm or Rory [McIlroy] or -- I have no idea how these guys are doing, have not looked at the leaderboard. I don't know who is going to make the cut. Yeah, that could be kind of huge for me, but at the same time I play with Patrick [Cantlay] all the time. He is No 4 in the world. It's golf. I'm ripping it, and I'm putting it."

Can Block claim historic major?

Block who has been Southern California PGA Player of the Year nine of the last 10 years, is the PGA Head Professional at Arroyo Trabuco Golf Club in California and has a clear style on how he coaches his students.

"The old Arnold Palmer 'swing your swing,' is a huge thing for me," Block said. "I don't teach one way. I teach what that person has the capability of doing and learning, and that's been a huge benefit of teaching for the last 25 years for me. I'm not trying to teach anybody Tiger's or Rory's swing, because that's just not going to happen."

No club professional has ever won the PGA Championship, although Block - who practices with Cantlay and Beau Hossler - takes inspiration from past performances at majors and in PGA Tour events as he looks to contend over the weekend.

"I understand how my game doesn't quite get up to them, but I'm pretty darn close, and I can compete with them," Block added. "I've been gaining that confidence from those finishes in those rounds where I'm like, why not? Why not come here and compete? Why not here at Oak Hill, make the cut? I'm not afraid of them anymore, to be honest.

When asked what his ultimate 'why not' would be this week, Block said: "To win, by far. As weird as it sounds, I'm going to compete. I promise you that."

Watch the PGA Championship throughout the weekend live on Sky Sports. Live coverage continues on Saturday from 2pm on Sky Sports Golf.

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Person killed near front gate of Valhalla Golf Club was vendor employee, PGA says

The person who died after being struck by a shuttle bus early Friday morning near the front gate of Valhalla Golf Club ahead of round 2 of the PGA Championship was a vendor employee, according to the PGA of America.

"This morning we were devastated to learn that a worker with one of our vendors was tragically struck and killed by a shuttle bus outside Valhalla Golf Club. This is heartbreaking to all of us involved with the PGA Championship. We extend our sincere condolences to their family and loved ones," the organization said in a post on X , formerly Twitter.

Officials have yet to identify the person.

Louisville Metro Police Department spokesperson Dwight Mitchell said officers received a call to the 15500 block of Shelbyville Road around 5 a.m. regarding a collision between a bus and a person, according to the Louisville Courier Journal, part of the USA TODAY network.

A preliminary investigation found a man was struck by a shuttle bus traveling eastbound in the center lane dedicated to buses. He was pronounced dead at the scene.

Valhalla Golf Club in Louisville, Kentucky is the site of this week's 2024 PGA Championship , which runs through Sunday.

PGA Championship 2024 live updates: Why Scottie Scheffler was arrested, tee times, forecast

Scottie Scheffler arrested, released from jail, tees off in round 2 of PGA Championship

In a separate incident, world No. 1 golfer Scottie Scheffler was arrested and booked into a Louisville jail Friday morning after a situation with police near the entrance of Valhalla Golf Club.

Scheffler, 27, is facing four criminal charges  − including second degree assault on a police officer, which is a felony − after an encounter with a Louisville police officer who was directing traffic in front of the golf course, following the fatal collision in the area.

In a criminal complaint obtained by USA TODAY Sports, the officer wrote that Scheffler disregarded his verbal instructions, accelerated his car forward and dragged the officer to the ground, causing pain and swelling to his left knee and wrist. 

Scheffler said in a statement  that he was "proceeding as directed" by officers and called the incident "a big misunderstanding."

Scottie Scheffler arrested: Scottie Scheffler arrested before start of Round 2 of the PGA Championship

"It was a very chaotic situation, understandably so considering the tragic accident that had occurred earlier, and there was a big misunderstanding of what I thought I was being asked to do," he wrote in the statement. "I never intended to disregard any of the instructions. I’m hopeful to put this to the side and focus on golf today." 

Scheffler was arrested just before 6:30 a.m. and booked into jail roughly an hour later, according to online records published by the Louisville Metropolitan Department of Corrections.  He is also being charged  with criminal mischief, reckless driving and disregarding signals from an officer directing traffic.

By 9:15 a.m., Scheffler had been released from jail and arrived at Valhalla. He teed off less than an hour later and birdied the first hole. (Tee times were delayed by almost 90 minutes Friday due to the traffic accident.)

Louisville police did not immediately reply to messages from USA TODAY Sports seeking comment and more information on the circumstances surrounding Scheffler's arrest. His arraignment is scheduled for 9 a.m. Tuesday.

Contributing: Gentry Estes & Tom Schad, USA TODAY; USA TODAY Network staff

Gabe Hauari is a national trending news reporter at USA TODAY. You can follow him on X  @GabeHauari  or email him at [email protected].

Rory McIlroy stood by the PGA Tour. Why doesn’t it want his help?

The decision not to bring Rory McIlroy back into a PGA Tour leadership role shows why the sport is in this troubled state.

When the PGA Tour’s battle with LIV Golf for power — and the world’s best players — became open financial warfare two years ago, Rory McIlroy and Tiger Woods were the biggest stars who stood by the tour.

Woods did it by turning down an outrageous amount of money — reportedly more than half a billion dollars . McIlroy did it by saying no amount of money would lure him to LIV and by consistently ripping LIV and the players who did take the huge bucks, among them Phil Mickelson, Dustin Johnson, Brooks Koepka and Bubba Watson — all, like him, multiple-time major champions.

“I hate what it’s doing to the game of golf. I hate it. I really do,” McIlroy said in 2022 after the first batch of players defected to the breakaway LIV circuit — and were suspended by the PGA Tour for doing so.

He quickly became the unofficial player spokesman for the tour because of his place in the world rankings and because he was so highly respected within the game. In essence, McIlroy stood in front of PGA Tour Commissioner Jay Monahan and said, “If you want him, you’ll have to go through me.”

Then, almost a year ago, Monahan and the Public Investment Fund — which funds LIV and fronts for the Saudi government — announced they had reached an agreement for the PIF to invest in the PGA Tour. McIlroy had knives in his back, and they had been put there by Monahan and the tour.

McIlroy was heard on a tour-sponsored Netflix documentary saying — among other things — “I am almost at the point of like, ‘F--- it, do whatever you want to do.’ ” He also said the players had been blindsided by the PGA Tour-Saudi deal, telling reporters , “It’s hard for me to not sit up here and feel somewhat like a sacrificial lamb.”

A year later, that deal has yet to come to fruition . McIlroy, who had been a member of the tour’s policy board for two years, resigned last fall . Although McIlroy said he resigned so he could focus on his family and golf, it seemed apparent he didn’t think he could trust Monahan — with whom he had once been close.

But with the PGA Tour-Saudi negotiations clearly dragging, McIlroy said a few weeks ago he would be willing to come back to the policy board. Webb Simpson, one of golf’s class acts, instantly offered his spot on the board to McIlroy, only for several other pros to object.

Last week, McIlroy announced he would not be returning to the board . “It got pretty complicated and pretty messy,” McIlroy said . He went on to say the sides have “this window of opportunity” to get a deal done.

McIlroy referenced the 1998 “Good Friday” agreement in Northern Ireland — which finally brought an end to the Troubles — as an example of meaningful compromise. “Neither side was happy,” he said. “Catholics weren’t happy, Protestants weren’t happy. But it brought peace, and then you just sort of learn to live with whatever has been negotiated, right?”

McIlroy was then named — along with Woods — to a newly formed subcommittee that is supposed to negotiate directly with the PIF. Just what the tour needs: another committee. And still, anything the tour does will have to be approved by the policy board.

Here are the simple facts: Monahan and his various minions have handled this crisis poorly from Day 1 by not taking the LIV threat seriously at first and then panicking into making an agreement with a country that has an appalling record on human rights. Monahan made that point himself, shortly before attempting to go into business with the Saudis.

The entire situation continues to damage the sport. Ratings for the Masters this year were down 20 percent, and some people attempted to blame the winner, Scottie Scheffler , for his supposedly drama-free dominance.

Which was ludicrous. Scheffler did not run away with the tournament until the back nine Sunday. So that wasn’t the problem. Apparently becoming the first player aside from Jack Nicklaus, Seve Ballesteros and Woods to win two Masters by 27 wasn’t enough of a draw.

And then there’s his supposedly vanilla personality. Few golfers have the charisma of Arnold Palmer or Mickelson — or McIlroy. Nicklaus certainly didn’t until the latter part of his career. Woods let his golf do most of his talking for years. Tom Watson was the classic (and classy) stoic Midwesterner.

The drop in Masters ratings absolutely was a product of the never-ending PGA Tour-LIV war. The best players are rarely in the same tournaments. Golf fans don’t care much about a 54-hole event, no matter who is playing in it. And they don’t care much about tour events without all the best players in the world, no matter how much money the tour throws at its so-called “signature events.”

Golf, as McIlroy has pointed out, is a mess. And while his own life has also gotten complicated — McIlroy this week filed for divorce from his wife, Erica Stoll, after seven years of marriage — his golf is not a mess. He started slowly this year, never contending in the Masters, the tournament he wants to win most to complete a career Grand Slam. But he has now won twice in three weeks — claiming an event in New Orleans with Ryder Cup teammate Shane Lowry and then running away Sunday in Charlotte to prevail for the fourth time at Quail Hollow, where he earned his first PGA Tour victory in 2010.

The last time McIlroy won a major was 10 years ago when he claimed the PGA Championship at Valhalla in Louisville — the same place that tournament will be played this week. He was also coming off a victory that year (at Firestone) when he held off Mickelson and Rickie Fowler in the darkness.

Can he end his majors drought this week? He’ll have to beat Scheffler, among others, to finally get his fifth major. You can bet a McIlroy-Scheffler duel Sunday would boost ratings.

But regardless of the outcome, golf will still have serious issues. And the policy board’s (and, no doubt, Monahan’s) decision to not bring him back is symbolic of why the sport is a dumpster fire. McIlroy said last week that he “put my hand up to help” — and was turned down. How foolish.