Club pro Michael Block (USA) fever is sweeping the Professional Golf Association (PGA). The 47-year-old shot to stardom with a hole-in-one and a tie for 15th at the PGA Championship, and now he’s carrying that momentum into the PGA Tour’s Charles Schwab Challenge ($8.7 million purse). Brooks Koepka (USA), who won his first PGA Championship at the LIV Golf Invitational, will also be in Washington, D.C. for the LIV Revival.
The PGA Tour honored Block in a feature on its website ahead of the Charles Schwab Challenge, which begins tonight (Aug. 25) at Colonial Country Club (Par 70) in Fort Worth, Texas. The PGA Tour noted the increased attention and excitement, saying that “the ‘Week of Block’ has blown people’s minds.”
Block is not a tour pro. He is the head pro at Arroyo Trabuco Golf Club in Mission Viejo, California, where he charges $150 for an hour of instruction. He’s practically a layman. Unsurprisingly, Block wasn’t on the Charles Schwab Challenge roster, but he was a sponsor invitee because of his performance at the PGA Championship.
Block was inundated with congratulatory messages immediately after the PGA Championship. His social media following quickly grew to 200,000. “I sincerely apologize to all my friends, fans, and PGA members who texted me. I apologize for not replying. It was literally off and on,” he explained. Michael Jordan, the “King of Basketball,” was one of the people who texted Block. “I’m a lifelong Jordan fan,” he confessed, “I saved up $100 to buy a pair of his shoes when I was a kid.” Earlier, Block was offered $50,000 ($66 million) for the 7-iron he used to make a hole-in-one on the 15th hole.
Block’s fellow Charles Schwab Challenge competitors have also been singing his praises. World No. 1 Scott Schauffler called it “absolutely amazing,” while No. 14 Sam Burns (USA) said, “It’s cool for all of us to see (the touted block).” “It’s crazy,” said No. 11 Jordan Spieth (USA), who added, “It’s one of the beauties of the PGA Championship. “It’s one of the beauties of the PGA Championship. It’s going to be really hard to see in 20 or 30 years. Netflix is currently filming season two of Full Swing, a documentary that follows the events and players at the PGA Championship, and is expected to add Block to the cast. Also that day, Block signed with WME Sports, a major sports agency. WME Sports said, “Block has been a social media sensation all weekend. His humility and honesty, along with his impressive performance, made him a surprise star.”메이저사이트
Meanwhile, PGA Championship winner Koepka will use his PGA Championship victory as a springboard to revitalize the fading popularity of LIV. The sixth edition of LIV, which concluded on the 15th, was so low-profile that the TV broadcast was suspended when the tournament went into overtime, but Koepka’s win sparked a rebound. The seventh edition of the LIV will be held at the par-72 Trump National Golf Club in Sterling, Virginia, near Washington, D.C., starting on June 26. Bryson DeChambeau (USA), Koepka’s longtime nemesis, is also expected to play a part in the LIV revival. DeChambeau raised eyebrows after Koepka’s win when he traveled to the 18th hole to congratulate him.