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Michael Block is finally back home in Orange County, California — almost a week after he was scheduled to return.
Fate had other plans for Block, the 46-year-old club pro champion who has done the unthinkable in the PGA Championship, outsmarting dozens of the world’s best players to finish T15 and thus earn an automatic berth in the PGA next year at Valhalla.
But it was Block’s dependability that made him a star. He’s a working man, working a day job as a handyman at Arroyo Trabuco in Southern California. He loved relaxing with an IPA in hand. And though he was confident he could play, he simply couldn’t believe the situation he ended up in Oak Hill, tearing up during interviews, getting belly-belly congratulations from Rory McIlroy, and engaging in bro conversation with Brooks Koepka (“I heard Koepka say After his win, pointing to the 15-hole ace of the block.) Block even received a text message from Michael Jordan.
The flood of interest has led to Block being invited to not one but two PGA Tour events, the Charles Schwab Challenge this week and the RBC Canadian Open next month. He was picked up by the super sports agency WME and put the new Raising Cane logo on his sleeve.
But after all the hype, it’s time to play golf again. Instead of flying under the radar, as Block did briefly at Oak Hill, the lights were on. The weight of it all seemed suddenly apparent, as Block battled to an opening round 81, complete with three double-bogeys on his last four holes. Nevertheless, Block retained the irrational optimism that many professional athletes seem to possess.
“I’ve shot 58, I’ve shot 59 in my life, and since what I had today, I wouldn’t be surprised if I did,” he said Thursday. “If you do, great. If not, I’m going to see my kids and my wife tomorrow night in Orange County, California.”
A 59 was clearly not in the block cards on Friday, but he improved significantly from Thursday’s debacle, with a round of four over 74.
“I have no legs,” Block admitted on Friday. “I was due to fly out at 10:00 a.m. last Saturday. So if that gives you any confidence as to how much I did at the PGA Championship. My whole family, everyone, everyone who came out to watch me was scheduled for the weekend Last, Saturday. To say the least, for me to finish 15th and make the cut and be there on Sunday and all that happened is crazy because we were all going home on Saturday morning, which obviously didn’t happen. Life has changed quite a bit since then. And I enjoyed every moment.
“I just want to say thank you.”
Even though Block’s PGA Tour ride is coming to a close this week, fans can still look forward to seeing him hit the road again soon. The RBC Canadian Open is less than two weeks away, and Block is already drooling at the chance of another shot at the tour.
“I can’t wait for Canada to tell you the truth,” he said. “I can not wait.”