Block party rolls on after hole in one caps life-changing week at US PGA

Michael Block has a sneaking suspicion his life has changed forever thanks to his sensational performance in the US PGA Championship.

The club professional enjoyed a barely believable week at Oak Hill, making the cut in a major for the first time, playing with Justin Rose in the third round and then firing a hole-in-one on Sunday while playing with four-time major winner Rory McIlroy. The 46-year-old’s display captured the imagination of spectators and his tie for 15th place secured a spot in next year’s US PGA at Valhalla, followed soon after by invites for this week’s Charles Schwab Challenge on the PGA Tour and June’s Canadian Open.

“This week’s been absolutely a dream,” Block said. “I didn’t know it was going to happen, but I knew if I just played my darned game that I could do this.

“I always knew it. I had this intuition that it was going to happen. I always saw myself coming down the stretch with Tiger Woods. I was like, I’m going to do it, even if I’m 45 or whatever it is, I’m going to come down the stretch at an event with Tiger.

“It just happened to be that I was in the 2023 PGA Championship at Oak Hill, and I had Rory McIlroy in my group. I wasn’t coming down the stretch to win but, at the same time, Sunday at a major with the crowd here at Rochester was unreal.

“My life’s changed, but my life’s only changed for the better. I’ve got my family. I’ve got my friends. I’ve got the people that really love me and care about me here. It’s an epic experience.”

MICHAEL. BLOCK. ACE. #PGAChamp pic.twitter.com/YitD2QLDB7

Asked why he had proved so popular at Oak Hill, Block added: “I’m like the new John Daly, but I don’t have a mullet, and I’m not quite as big as him yet.

“I’m just a club professional, right? I work. I