One of the best stories of the week at Oak Hill Country Club has been the play of Michael Block, one of the 20 PGA club professionals in the field at the 2023 PGA Championship.
Block shot 70 on each of the first three days of the tournament to arrive at Sunday’s final round at even par, putting him T10 entering the final round where he found himself paired with Rory McIlroy. Block has become a legend in Rochester with his play over the course of the week, and that only grew on Sunday afternoon as he stepped onto the 15th tee and took aim at the par 3. Block fired a 7-iron directly at the pin and flew the ball into the cup, dunking home an ace that sent the crowd into a frenzy and had Block stunned on the tee.
MICHAEL BLOCK!
HOLE-IN-ONE! pic.twitter.com/AGckvo8F7B
— Golf on CBS
(@GolfonCBS) May 21, 2023
“Rory, did it go in?!” is a sensational line, as he seemed to think he was getting pranked by everyone going nuts.
It’s an all-time moment at the PGA Championship, where club pros rarely find themselves making the cut, much less near the top of the leaderboard come Sunday. For Block, who was two-over on his final round coming into the 15th, it wasn’t just the moment of his career, but it also pushed him back to even for the championship and into a tie for 14th — with a top-15 finish guaranteeing him a spot in next year’s PGA Championship.