Back to reality! PGA Championship hero Michael Block is having a nightmarish start to his first tournament after winning $288,000 at Oak Hill…and sitting bottom of the Charles Schwab Challenge leaderboard after round one with 11-over-81
Michael Block had an unforgettable day in his first tournament since the PGA Championship, finishing in last place after a score of 11 over 81 in the Charles Schwab Challenge.
The 46-year-old American club pro was back on court after earning a sponsorship waiver for the PGA Tour event in Colonial after a dream week.
But he finished Thursday in last place of 120 golfers after carding seven bogeys before scoring double bogeys in 15th, 16th and 18th place.
On the first tee of his first round, Block stepped up, took in the crowd, addressed the ball and promptly shot his drive into the trees.
The clubhouse pro, who placed 15th in last week’s PGA Championship, entered the grounds of the Colonial Country Club in Ft. Worth, Texas with the wind in our sails and good energy behind us.
Michael Block’s opening round at the Colonial didn’t go to plan, starting with three straight bogeys
The 46-year-old American club pro underwent a reality check after his dream week at the Major
He ended Thursday in last place out of 120 golfers after landing seven bogeys at Colonial
That wind may have blown him right back to reality when Block carded three bogeys in a row early in his round.
Block still had some magic from last week’s tournament and pulled out a hybrid for a par 3 tee shot that ran across the front of the green and looked poised to drop – a repeat of last week’s magic ace the 15th hole at Oak Hill.
It landed just a meter from the cup and Block tapped it into the hole for a birdie.
But all that luck was immediately wiped out on the next hole when he rolled a chip shot from one side of the green to the other, forcing it to double back and landing another bogey.
His game had gone badly from the start – the best example of this was his second shot on the second hole.
100 yards from the hole, Block pulled out his wedge and smashed it across the green and into the trees an estimated 42 yards.
It could be the beginning of a heartbreaking ending to a feel-good story, but that may have even started before Block teed off.
It came a day after Block claimed he could be “one of the best in the world” with Rory’s driving style
Block won the Low Professional title at Oak Hill — earning him $288,000 in the process
In a podcast with Bob Menery, Block made the bold statement that if he could hit the ball like Rory McIlroy, he’d be one of the best players in the world.
“Oh my god, what I would shoot from where Rory hits it would be stupid.” I think I would be one of the best players in the world. Definitely,” Block said.
“If I had that stupid length, all day.” “My iron play, wedge play, around the greens and my putting are world class.”
Prior to the PGA Championship, he made his final cut at the Sanderson Farms Championship in Mississippi in the 2014-15 PGA Tour season.
Block’s goal at Oak Hill was legendary as he became a national hero over the weekend.
He scored 70-70-70-71 in all four rounds and finished the tournament one over par, earning him the Low Professional title.
It netted him a staggering $288,000 – far more than all of his previous tour earnings combined.