Many were focused on the LIV vs PGA players in the year’s second major, but it’s a club pro that is stealing the headlines at the 2023 PGA Championship.
Michael Block, the head golf pro at Arroyo Trabuco Golf Club, is usually spending his Saturday mornings preparing for lessons with his students in Mission Viejo, California. However, this weekend, aspiring golfers will have to wait as Block participates in the PGA Championship as he tees it up with the best golfers on the planet, aiming to turn his unlikely success story into an extraordinary one.
Impressive Start For Club Pro
Block has shot impressive back-to-back even-par 70 rounds at Oak Hill, a course known for its extreme difficulty, one that has given some of the best in the world serious fits this weekend. With only nine out of 156 players currently under par, Block will enter Round 3 trailing the leaders by just five strokes, securing a late Saturday tee time. Block currently sits in 10th place. That’s currently ahead of marquee players such as world #1 Jon Rahm, Colin Morikawa, Patrick Cantlay, Dustin Johnson, and Max Homa just to name a few.
Pure. 👌 Michael Block is absolutely on fire this morning. #CorebridgexPGA | @scpga pic.twitter.com/o0UXSrGBrp
— PGA of America (@PGA) May 19, 2023
History in the Making
By making it into the top 40 on the PGA Championship leaderboard after 36 holes, Block has already made history. According to the PGA, only four other PGA professionals have accomplished this feat, and none have ranked higher than a tie for 13th place after two rounds. Despite this being a serious longshot, Block isn’t shying away from the opportunity.
“I feel like I’ve got the game this week to compete, to tell you the truth,” Block told reporters on Friday. “I’ve made the cut, which is obviously 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.”
If Block can maintain his position near the top of the leaderboard on Sunday, he has the opportunity to etch his name in the record books once again. The highest finish by a PGA professional in the PGA Championship is a tie for 11th place, achieved by Tommy Aycock in 1974 and Lonnie Nielsen in 1986. Regardless of the outcome, Block will return home to Arroyo Trabuco Golf Club as a legend among his friends and co-workers. Fellow teaching professional Bob Lasken shared that his phone has been constantly buzzing since Block’s impressive performance began.
Sure and Study At the PGA Championship
After an impressive opening-round 70, Michael Block continued his strong performance in the second round of the PGA Championship. Starting on the back nine, he began with an eight-foot birdie putt at the 10th hole and followed it up with a superb approach shot on the 12th, leaving himself a tap-in for another birdie. By sinking a 12-foot putt on the 14th, he reached a total score of 3-under for the tournament, just one stroke behind overnight leader Bryson DeChambeau.
Block faced some challenges when he encountered a bogey on the par-5 4th hole and then hit a poor tee shot on the next hole, resulting in a severe mis-hit. Fortunately, the ball struck a tree and settled in the deep rough instead of going out of bounds.
Despite the setback, Block managed to salvage a double bogey on the 5th hole. He made a slight adjustment to his swing by bringing his hands closer to his body and proceeded to card pars on his remaining four holes, finishing the round without any further complications.
There is still quite a bit of golf to be played, but if he can pull it off, we may be looking at on of the stories of the year in professional golf.
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