ROCHESTER, N.Y. — How could this week at the PGA Championship have gotten any more unbelievable for Michael Block?
Somehow, it did.
Block’s dream week got even more surreal on Sunday as the 46-year-old everyman club pro from Mission Viejo, Calif., not only jarred a hole-in-one on the 15th hole in the final round, but he finished in a tie for 15th, which earned him an automatic exemption into next year’s PGA at Valhalla.
Before Sunday, the largest paycheck Block had ever won at a golf tournament was $75,000. He earned $309,000 for his 15th-place finish on Sunday.
Block was at least as much the star of this PGA as tournament winner Brooks Koepka. He stole the show, was treated to a hero’s welcome everywhere he went at Oak Hill.
“My life’s changed,’’ Block said.
Minutes after he finished his round, Block got a telephone call from the tournament director at the Colonial, next week’s PGA Tour event in Fort Worth, Texas, offering him the final sponsor’s exemption into the tournament.
Block cried.
Then, for the second time this week, he had to call the airlines and change his flight. On Friday, after he made the cut, Block had to change his return flight to California, which was originally set for Saturday because he wasn’t expecting to make it to the weekend.
“I’m living a dream and I’m making sure I enjoy this moment, because it’s not going to get better than this … no way in hell,’’ Block said. “Cheers to the 29,000 PGA pros of the world. This was for you guys.’’
Block spoke those words through tears.
“I didn’t cry when I had my kids,’’ Block said. “If you love golf, you know. The one thing in the world that makes me cry is golf. That’s how much I love the game. It’s everything to me.’’
For Block, the only one of the 20 club pros in the 156-player field to make the cut, the entire week was magical, but Sunday’s goings-on were positively mind-boggling.
It was marvelously fitting that, on his ace, Block stood on the tee after his shot in utter disbelief when he realized the ball went into the hole on the fly.
“Did that go in?’’ Block asked his playing partner, Rory McIlroy, who gave him a hug with a pat on the stomach. “No. No. No way. Are you kidding me?’’
He said he “couldn’t really see’’ the ball go in, adding, “I heard the crowd and was like, ‘OK, cool, it must be close.’ Then I was like, ‘Why is Rory giving me a hug for hitting to 10 feet?’ It was kind of weird, but I was cool with it.’’
Before his final round, Block said Zach Johnson, the U.S. Ryder Cup captain, sought him out on the practice green and told him, “Just keep being you.’’
Block leaves this PGA as a bona fide folk hero.
“I’m like the new John Daly, but I don’t have a mullet and I’m not quite as big as him yet,’’ Block said. “I’m just a club professional. I work. I have fun. I have a couple boys that I love to play golf with. I have a great wife. I have great friends. I live the normal life. I love being at home. I love sitting in my backyard. My best friend in the world is my dog. I can’t wait to see him. This has been a surreal experience.’’
No club pro has ever finished in the top-10 in the storied 105-year history of the PGA Championship, and Block nearly did that.
He, too, flirted with some other unimaginable prizes. A top-four finish would have qualified him for next year’s Masters. A two-way tie for third or better would have earned him temporary playing status on the PGA Tour.
The ace, made with a 7-iron, was the first he’s ever had in a tournament, and it moved Block from 2-over to even par and in a tie for 14th.
He arrived to the 18th hole in a tie for 15th and needed a par to preserve that spot and his 2024 PGA invite. He said he had no idea where he stood at that moment. His second shot ended up in the rough to the right of the green. He hit a beautiful chip to about 10 feet for his par save.
And, when his par putt barely trickled into the hole the crowd went ballistic, Block doubled over with emotion. McIlroy smiled and hugged him.
When he arrived to the green for his ace and plucked the ball out of the hole, Block showed it to the fans surrounding the green, who were in an absolute frenzy. As he walked off the green, he did a 360, pointing to the fans and patting his heart.
What a week.
What a story.
Unbelievable.
