Block party on: Club pro qualifies for PGA Championship
May 2 - Michael Block, the Southern California golf pro who shot into the spotlight at the 2023 PGA Championship with a legendary effort including a slam-dunk ace, has qualified for the 2025 tournament on May 15-18 at Quail Hollow in Charlotte, N.C.
Block, 48, beat the odds again this week when he tied for third as 20 of 312 club pros qualified for the major through the PGA Professional Championship, a four-day event at the PGA Golf Club's Wanamaker Course in Port St. Lucie, Fla.
The head pro at Arroyo Trabuco Golf Club, Block carded rounds of 64-71-75-74 to finish at 4 under par. Tyler Collet of Vero Beach, Fla., won by 10 shots with a record-breaking 15 under.
"The goal this week was to kind of show my kid (caddie Ethan) the nuances of playing golf, and I think I did," said Block, who is from Mission Viejo, Calif. "Keep it in the fairway off the tee. Hit the green. If you miss the green, get up and down, make a conservative chip, and then be a decent putter. I think I showed him a good way to do it. And if I finish third, fourth or fifth, or whatever it is, as long as I'm in the top 20, I'm going to Quail Hollow and I'm very happy."
He will play in the PGA Championship for a seventh time but has made the cut only once, when he captured the attention of fans and media by turning the 2023 event at Oak Hill into a "Block Party."
Block tied for 15th with the aid of a hole-in-one at the par-3 15th hole in the final round, witnessed by the golf world including playing partner Rory McIlroy.
That Sunday, he also saved par with a clutch up-and-down from off the green and 8-foot putt at No. 18 to secure a top-15 finish and automatic invitation to the 2024 PGA Championship.
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