A dream week for PGA club professional Michael Block entered another dimension with a slam-dunk hole-in-one alongside one of the best players in the sport.
Block is one of the 20 club professionals taking part in the PGA Championship, the other 19 all having missed the cut as 47-year-old Block stuck around close to the top 10 all week long.
Having been paired with Justin Rose on Saturday and again fought hard to remain in the mix, Block was grouped with Rory McIlroy for the final round, understandably struggling to keep pace with the four-time major champion early on.
Then came arguably the moment of the championship, as Block's approach to the par-three 15th hole went in on the fly.
MICHAEL. BLOCK. ACE. #PGAChamp pic.twitter.com/YitD2QLDB7
— PGA Championship (@PGAChampionship) May 21, 2023
Michael Block's home club, Arroyo Trabucho, goes wild!! #PGAChamp pic.twitter.com/rWbv4VU3uN
— PGA Championship (@PGAChampionship) May 21, 2023
The stunning hole-in-one lifted Block into a share of 13th, with a ticket to the 2024 PGA Championship in Kentucky given to all of those finishing T15 or better.
Prior to this week, no PGA professional has ever finished in the top 10 of the event and it had been 18 years since any of them made the top 40.
Block went on to produce another highlight-reel moment with an impressive up-and-down at the 18th hole, finishing in a share of 15th and therefore securing his return next May.
Block charges $150 per hour for a lesson at a public course in California. He collected $288,333 for this astonishing display in New York.
"I'll cause that delay every time" 🤣🤣 pic.twitter.com/9qGIQ7j5fe
— Sky Sports Golf (@SkySportsGolf) May 21, 2023
That scene on the 18th with Block and McIlroy one of the best I’ve seen in golf for a long time.
— Ewan Murray (@mrewanmurray) May 21, 2023
— Golfweek (@golfweek) May 21, 2023
