Michael Block kept doing and saying Michael Block things in his PGA Tour Champions debut on Friday.
Block – the everyman teaching pro who recognises that he’s been a polarising figure among golf fans – turned 50 on June 16 and that affords him the opportunity play on the top-level senior circuit. Block doesn’t have a tour card, but he’s available for sponsor’s exemptions, and he figures to be a popular choice after bursting onto the national scene in the 2023 PGA Championship by contending into the weekend and making a hole-in-one at Oak Hill in Rochester, New York.
As it happens, the Dick’s Open is being played this week in Endicott, New York, 200 kilometres southeast of Rochester, and the sporting goods company title sponsor figured En-Joie Golf Course would be the perfect spot for Block’s senior debut.
Block, a teaching pro in Southern California, happily accepted and admitted earlier this week that he was more nervous playing on the senior tour than in majors, because he grew up idolising the players who are over 50.
One thing that wasn’t different: Block’s ability to meet the moment. Block poured in seven birdies to go with just one bogey in shooting six-under-par 66. That was good enough to get him into a tie for fifth, three shots back of solo leader Dicky Pride. Just ahead of Block at seven-under are past major champions Padraig Harrington and Darren Clarke. Behind Block are 20 former Ryder Cup players, eight major champions and three World Golf Hall of Famers.
“For me to come out here today and shoot what I did my first time out, the pressure I had, everyone’s looking at me, I’ve got all those haters out there which, you know, I love you guys. There you go, I hope you guys like that 66,” Block said.
Always quotable and often speaking off-the-cuff, Block has been lauded for being down-to-earth while drawing the ire of some who have the perception that he’s an earnest self-promoter.
That hasn’t changed Block’s approach one bit. In fact, he’s probably only embraced his uniqueness more. And that was again in evidence on Friday when he talked about wanting to get a “Block party” going for the weekend with his family, friends and the fans who come out to support him.
He also revealed that he had a dream last year that he was only talking about now. It begins with the fact that earlier this month he emerged from a 3-for-2 playoff to qualify for the US Senior Open that will be played next week at Scioto Country Club in Columbus, Ohio. Block has played in 10 regular majors, including May’s PGA Championship, where he missed the cut.
“I’m just letting you guys know this dream. I’m going to say it out loud for the first time,” Block said. “My family’s known this for a while. … I literally, and hate me for it, I don’t care. But I literally had a dream that I was going to win the US Senior Open the first year I turned 50. That’s something I’ve had in my head for a long time. When I got in that playoff last week, it was three guys for two spots to get into the playoff to get in the US Open finals. … I said, ‘This is it,’ and I went birdie-birdie. I’m going to do my best. It might not happen, but I had a dream about it so it’s cool.”
First, Block has this weekend at En-Joie, and he’s feeling very confident about his prospects.
“Honestly, I think I can get it here, I can go deep,” Block said. “I’m not kidding, I can get after it here. I wasn’t even driving it as good as I normally do today. I putted quite well, got up and down a lot, had a great time. Everyone was great. But I think I can go deeper.”
Like we said, Blockie doing and saying Blockie things.
