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Picture this for a second: a dedicated coach of your favorite sport at a local club finds himself among the best of the league. Then, not only that, he dazzles the top, rockstar-like figures with a sharp technique. After a brilliant competitive appearance, he in turn earns a spot among the cream of the crop. This summarizes the story of Michael Block, who has gone from instructor at a public golf course in California to making headlines with a shocking hole-in-one during the 2023 PGA Championship.
Before this week, Block was just a club pro. In other words, he works as an expert golfer who helps run a golf club and teaches others how to play the game. Although he had done previous appearances in other major tournaments, nothing compares to his latest run, which has been described as a Cinderella story.
But how did Block find himself in that spot in the first place? The tournament reserves 20 spots for members of the PGA of America, the organization that runs the tournament and represents the 28,000 certified club pros in the country. Block then qualified and secured one of those coveted spots. With a pool of 156 players featuring winners of past championships, Masters, and U.S. Opens, it is not expected for club pros to make it to the top spots of the PGA tournament; however, Block did.
With every advancement, his fame rose, much to his disbelief. Not only did he gain more fans by the minute, but he was paired with increasingly renowned golfers. According to The New York Times, he was shocked when he heard he would play with four-time major champion Rory McIlroy. “Are you serious?” he exclaimed. “Oh boy. “That should be fun.”
Playing with such a famed golfer wasn't the only memory to be made for Block. On the 15th hole, Block made an epic 151-yard hole-in-one on the fly, sending crowds into a frenzy and reigniting the incredulity of the club pro, who was captured on video wondering, “It didn't go in, did it?” and then hastily approaching the hole while saying, “No, no,” with skepticism as the fans roared and clapped.
In the end, Block finished the PGA Championship in a tie for 15th place, hanging around the leaders into the weekend. According to Slate, he won $288,000 on the tournament. This is likely a life-changing amount for someone on the salary of a club pro, a profession reported to have a tough work-life balance. It is also a much larger sum than the $4,500 he got from a golf tournament in California in 2001, his biggest prize until now. “I have a feeling my wife is going to make me charge more,” Block joked about his hourly lessons rate.
This may be the first of many appearances, as his spot earned him an invitation to the 2024 PGA Championship at Valhalla Golf Club in Louisville. He has also been called to other events, such as the Charles Schwab Challenge in Forth Worth and the Canadian Open in Toronto. With the sun setting on the PGA tournament, the Cinderella story might be coming to an end. And with it, the beginning of the legend of a star golfer who rose from an unlikely place.
Michael Block, a club pro competing at the PGA Championship, dazzled the golf world with this 151-yard hole-in-one:
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His feat sent crowds into a frenzy and awakened the incredulity of the club pro, who was captured on video wondering “It didn't go in, did it?”
MICHAEL. BLOCK. ACE. #PGAChamp pic.twitter.com/YitD2QLDB7
— PGA Championship (@PGAChampionship) May 21, 2023
He then hastily approaching the hole while saying “no, no” with skepticism as the fans roared and clapped.
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In the end, Block finished the PGA Championship in a tie for 15th place, and has been invited to the 2024 PGA Championship at Valhalla Golf Club in Louisville.
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Michael Block: Instagram
h/t: [Digg]
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