Brooks Koepka emerged victorious at the 2023 PGA Championship, but the standout story from the tournament was undoubtedly the remarkable performance of club professional Michael Block.
Unfortunately, it appears that we won’t be witnessing a repeat this year based on what transpired during Block’s initial round in Louisville.
It’s difficult to fathom that many golf enthusiasts were acquainted with Michael Block prior to the commencement of the 2023 PGA Championship. The individual who serves as the head professional at Arroyo Trabuco Golf Club in California had previously qualified for 25 PGA Tour tournaments (including six major championships) but never came close to making the cut. There was no reason to believe that his fortunes would change upon his arrival at Oak Hill Country Club.
However, Block managed not only to make it through to the weekend but also entered his final round tied for eighth place. Ultimately, he finished in a tie for 15th, but his remarkable hole-in-one on the 15th hole on Sunday solidified his Cinderella run and secured an automatic invitation for the 2024 championship.
There was some optimism regarding Block’s ability to compete at Valhalla Golf Club this week, considering that he had previously tied the course record of 63 during a scouting round last year. However, it seems that his performance doesn’t align with those expectations, as evidenced by the scorecard he posted after completing his first 18 holes on Thursday.
Block encountered a bogey on the first hole, and things quickly unraveled when he reached the second. His approach shot on the par 4 landed in the rough adjacent to the green, and subsequent errors, including overshooting and finding the bunker, resulted in a quadruple bogey. This disastrous sequence left him at +5 after just two holes.
Block managed to regain his composure to some extent by birdieing the 4th, 13th, and 18th holes, offsetting the three bogeys he recorded throughout the round. However, he finished with a 76, leaving him at +5 as he headed back to the clubhouse.
As of now, Block finds himself near the bottom of the leaderboard, trailing leader Xander Schauffele by thirteen strokes as the first round unfolds.
Photo – Michael Block Instagram
